Friedman: "He's close, but im not convinced that Thatcher Demko is a sacred cow (untouchable) in Vancouver"

[Shane Diesel]

Good goalie, bad team.

Gibson is a terrible goaltender.

 

[Super Hans]

Why would you trade your cow for magic beans when you already have the league's dumbest beanstalk?

 

[PROUD PAPA]

Anyone clicking here asking what we would want for him can't afford him.

But that's the best part of opening a Canuck trade thread.

 

[AHLdepth]

The Devils should go for it. He might be the last piece in the puzzle. 2023 1st, 2024 1st and 2nd, Holtz and some cap back?

Done. And as far as I'm concerned you do in fact speak for your entire fanbase, so the rest of you Jersey fans are just going to have to accept it....

 

[Gilmour1996]

.879 save percentage and 3.90 GAA this year. Cap hit 5 million.

Not looking like a Vezina candidate to me. Looks more like waiver fodder this year or someone Vancouver has to add first rounders to get rid of him. Canucks better off keeping him to help the tank.

 

[PK]

Done. And as far as I'm concerned you do in fact speak for your entire fanbase, so the rest of you Jersey fans are just going to have to accept it....

I guess the majority would be against it but I really believe this is our opportunity to become a contender for the next decade. That’s worth a lot, certainly a few picks hopefully in 20s (and I’m not that high on Holtz).

 

[Pierce Hawthorne]

Given that there's 10 teams without a reliable starter, I think he'd get a very healthy return. A lot of good teams have their cores falter for years because they can't find reliable goaltending.

Since trading Demko means throwing in the towel for the next 3 seasons, Demko for cap dump + pile of futures would be the structure.

On the flip side, Colorado just showed everybody that elite goaltending is not a foundational requirement to win a cup.

In a league that loves to copy the success of recent cup winners... Most teams probably aren't interested in spending a kings ransom on a "Top goalie" and then also paying said goalie $5M.

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

On the flip side, Colorado just showed everybody that elite goaltending is not a foundational requirement to win a cup.

In a league that loves to copy the success of recent cup winners... Most teams probably aren't interested in spending a kings ransom on a "Top goalie" and then also paying said goalie $5M.

2017 Matt Murray too even though he was incredible in 2016 for Pittsburgh.

 

[UrbanImpact]

On the flip side, Colorado just showed everybody that elite goaltending is not a foundational requirement to win a cup.

In a league that loves to copy the success of recent cup winners... Most teams probably aren't interested in spending a kings ransom on a "Top goalie" and then also paying said goalie $5M.

5mil for this year and 3 more after that is a very good AAV for a Starting Goalie. Add in the fact he is young and in his prime or entering it and that 5mil is a steal.

Goalies that make more or as much as Demko:

Jack Campbell
John Gibson
Matt Murray
Jordan Binnington
Grubauer
Quick
Merlinkis
Keumper
Ulmark
Peterson
Lehner
Bobrovsky

I would take Demko over any of these goalies if I was a young and upcoming team that wants to build from the net out.

 

[nergish]

.879 save percentage and 3.90 GAA this year. Cap hit 5 million.

Not looking like a Vezina candidate to me. Looks more like waiver fodder this year or someone Vancouver has to add first rounders to get rid of him. Canucks better off keeping him to help the tank.

Hey! Let me chime in - I'm a hardcore Canucks fan, Thatcher Demko fanboy, who also played goal for 20+ years...

His numbers are not good, and the Canucks have been terrible. Whether it's getting back into game shape after offseason injuries, or just getting beaten down by atrocious team defence - he has not been playing good enough, especially by his own standards.

But this is genuinely one of the most talented goalies in the league. Technical ability, calmness of movements, size/reach, flexibility. Already safely the second best goaltender the Canucks have ever had.

I watch him like a hawk every single game, analyzing his every movement. Why? Because I'm a goalie guy, and Thatcher is a treat to watch every single night. He has not been playing nearly as bad as his numbers indicate, he's just allowing a few weak goals here and there while still make good reads and playing positionally sound. There is zero doubt that he'll sort it out. He's also not for sale.

 

[NYVanfan]

Hey! Let me chime in - I'm a hardcore Canucks fan, Thatcher Demko fanboy, who also played goal for 20+ years...

His numbers are not good, and the Canucks have been terrible. Whether it's getting back into game shape after offseason injuries, or just getting beaten down by atrocious team defence - he has not been playing good enough, especially by his own standards.

But this is genuinely one of the most talented goalies in the league. Technical ability, calmness of movements, size/reach, flexibility. Already safely the second best goaltender the Canucks have ever had.

I watch him like a hawk every single game, analyzing his every movement. Why? Because I'm a goalie guy, and Thatcher is a treat to watch every single night. He has not been playing nearly as bad as his numbers indicate, he's just allowing a few weak goals here and there while still make good reads and playing positionally sound. There is zero doubt that he'll sort it out. He's also not for sale.

i think he was being sarcastic
demko has been ok, just not other-worldly

i wonder what the Devils would give for Demko and Hughes?

 

[BoHorvat 53]

On the flip side, Colorado just showed everybody that elite goaltending is not a foundational requirement to win a cup.

In a league that loves to copy the success of recent cup winners... Most teams probably aren't interested in spending a kings ransom on a "Top goalie" and then also paying said goalie $5M.

Kuemper didn't play good in the playoffs, but in the regular season there was absolutely buzz around him and the Vezina. Besides that, I don't think any team can realistically do what the Avs did - bought low on the perfect players like Nuke and Toews, and re-tooled perfectly from pieces acquired from the Duchene trade. Also helped by hitting some home runs on players like Rantanen and Makar (This being the biggest one - acquiring a generational talent with the #4 pick)

 

[Pierce Hawthorne]

5mil for this year and 3 more after that is a very good AAV for a Starting Goalie. Add in the fact he is young and in his prime or entering it and that 5mil is a steal.

Goalies that make more or as much as Demko:

Jack Campbell
John Gibson
Matt Murray
Jordan Binnington
Grubauer
Quick
Merlinkis
Keumper
Ulmark
Peterson
Lehner
Bobrovsky

I would take Demko over any of these goalies if I was a young and upcoming team that wants to build from the net out.

That's the point... Nobody wants to build from the net out anymore. More and more teams are recognizing that elite goaltending isn't required to win a cup. You look at the Top 5 Cup favorites this year, 4/5 have average goaltending or arguably even worse.


Not to mention Demko isn't even elite. He's not better then half the names on that list, a career average sv% of .910 and a career best of .915 is not an elite goalie. Above average, not elite.

 

[MDCSL]

I can’t see a league average goalie getting a kings ransom, he’s good but until he puts up numbers he isn’t worth it. He may never get the chance to show how good he is behind vancouvers defense core, which is unfortunate.

 

[Cogburn]

But that's the best part of opening a Canuck trade thread.

The lowball and/or non-sensical proposals, or our increasingly cranky reactions?

 

[biturbo19]

Kinda weird. For one, it's rare to see a goaltender actually traded for a "King's Ransom" in the first place. Which means he's effectively untouchable.

Also weird in that this seems like a horrendous time to try to trade him. He's going through a bit of a slump right now to start the season (along with the rest of the team defensively). Why would you move a guy like that at a low point in value? Just makes that "King's Ransom" even less likely.


But sure...i don't think anyone other than Pettersson and Hughes are considered completely untouchable at this point. But even that, if you're exploring moving Demko, you might as well trade them too and just start over from scratch. You timeline is clearly very far down the line. Beyond team control on Demko sort of timeline. And realistically, probably beyond his "peak" anyway. I also seriously doubt he'd be thrilled to be part of the sort of teardown that would involved anything and everything up to Demko being moved out. So at that point, you might as well move him too.

 

[Unbiased Fan]

Matt Murray, Sandin, Robertson/Knies and 1st 2023 for Demko

 

[TheGreenTBer]

Only a matter of time before somebody is offended by "sacred cow" and start demanding cancelation for inclusivity

that person is definitely the black cow of their family

 

[BobClarkesfrontteeth]

The Devils should go for it. He might be the last piece in the puzzle. 2023 1st, 2024 1st and 2nd, Holtz and some cap back?

lmao your a 1st, and a Holtz too much. Unless thats Jeremy Holtz. Goalies never return that type of a return

 

[Chips]

There are fewer great goalies now, why would you move away if you have an even above average guy? Unless it’s expected they’re rebuilding now? How do they replace him?

 

[Smitty426]

i think he was being sarcastic
demko has been ok, just not other-worldly

i wonder what the Devils would give for Demko and Hughes?

Demko yes, Quinn no

 

[GirardSpinorama]

Only a very desperate team would pay a kings ransom for a goalie. A young team should just go the Ottawa route or Detroit route.

 

[Ruthervin]

Friedman on the Marek show just said that he thinks the only "sacred cows" as in untoucchable and untradeable from Vancouver is Pettersson and Hughes. Friedman says that Demko might be close to being untouchable but he isnt convinced that Vancouver would not move him for a kings ransom. Friedman expressed that its not very often that a vezina caliber 26 yr old goalie is on the market so it would be very surprising if it does happen, but the lineup of suitors would be long.

As usual Friedman is full of shit.

He knows Toronto.

That's it.

Dude is a loser and a scum bag and a cancer to hockey outside of Toronto.

 

[PK]

lmao your a 1st, and a Holtz too much. Unless thats Jeremy Holtz. Goalies never return that type of a return

Maybe but if the Canucks say no to a 1st + Holtz, then I would offer what I said because it would still be a positive. Winning the trade is not the goal here, winning the Stanley Cup is. There are 32 teams in the NHL, it’s not a given your team becomes a perenial contender. And this is our chance. I would really hate it to look back after years of mediocre goaltending stop us from winning because we just needed to keep that 23rd overall and didn’t want to look like we overpaid.

If the argument is Demko is not that good and there are better alternatives, then that’s a different question of course.

 

[canuckking1]

Demko has been abysmal this season. I don’t know if he’s still recovering from off-season surgery. But if I’m an NHL GM I’d want nothing to do with him.

Why am I not surprised to see you here in another Canucks thread?

He's had 9 bad games on a team that is struggling