playing through it he will aggravate it every time. he could be put on ltir and let his contract run out and vancouver can find a new number 1 goalie whose capable of being healthy when needed upon.
Player Discussion Thatcher Demko
- Thread starter Mr. Canucklehead
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That's the question though. There are goalies who play through pain (e.g. Luongo later years). But playing through pain that is fairly consistent where you learn to manage/deal with it is different from an injury that say can seize up, give out/become unstable, or produce a really sharp pain at any moment.
CanucksMJL
Context apologist.
- Jul 6, 2009
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A scenario does exist where the uncertainty of Demko's reliability/longevity/cost has the Canucks seriously considering moving forward with Lankinen.
The only way I see it not being a serious consideration is if Demko comes back as a vezina caliber goalie AND has proven to the medical staff that his unprecedented condition is squarely in the rearview mirror.
The difference in cap between the two goalies moving forward -- under most scenarios -- is likely to be several million, IMO upwards of $5M or more. With the OEL penalty increasing the difference in play between the two has to be significant enough to justify a likely huge disparity between their prospective salaries.
All that said, Lankinen needs to continue to show what he has. His pedigree suggests his play is not an anomaly.
The only way I see it not being a serious consideration is if Demko comes back as a vezina caliber goalie AND has proven to the medical staff that his unprecedented condition is squarely in the rearview mirror.
The difference in cap between the two goalies moving forward -- under most scenarios -- is likely to be several million, IMO upwards of $5M or more. With the OEL penalty increasing the difference in play between the two has to be significant enough to justify a likely huge disparity between their prospective salaries.
All that said, Lankinen needs to continue to show what he has. His pedigree suggests his play is not an anomaly.
I don't disagree with your analysis here,. It obviously largely depends on Lankinen's performance going forward and Demko's health/return.
I don't think the difference in cap hit will be upwards of $5M or more. Depending on term, an expected starter with Lankinen's resume is going to make ~$3.5-4.5M AAV. A healthy Vezina-contending Demko will get ~$8M-$8.5M. Demko with questionable health? Probably ~$6-6.5M AAV on a shorter term deal depending on games played.
I think there's quite a bit of ways to go before we are able to make any sort of informed decision.
It’s really sad but I don’t think demko comes back to be a regular starter, injuries on goalies are just too hard to overcome, see bishop, price, Murray and Schneider. Not one star goalie has had a rash of injuries came back and went on to a long career afterward that I can remember.
Nona Di Giuseppe
Registered User
For what it's worth, ChatGPT o1 preview suggests "isolated popliteus muscle belly rupture" after weighing all the info.
Now, I’m not cheering for this prognosis, but wild if true.
Bobby9
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- Feb 10, 2019
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I love having Demko on the team. You can see the potential to steal multiple series from him. Unfortunately injuries have caught up and the team needs to start thinking about moving on from him.
Really wish we could see a playoffs where he showed the league and all the other fans what he is capable of.
Demmer will command 8 M a year on his next contract. Doesnt work without gutting our forward group. Need a succession plan quick.
Really wish we could see a playoffs where he showed the league and all the other fans what he is capable of.
Demmer will command 8 M a year on his next contract. Doesnt work without gutting our forward group. Need a succession plan quick.
Yes time to move on, would bring in a haul in a trade. We can’t afford to pay him more than 6M. Canucks can really solidify their roster by moving injury prone Demko.
Bobby9
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Jerry the great
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- Jul 8, 2022
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If we can't rely on him, why would anyone be willing to trade a meaningful asset to change places with us? He's only an asset if he's healthy and in that situation, he's likely worth more to us as a starting goalie than he is in trade.
Obviously the Canucks would trade him when he’s healthy and playing well, would you at that point capitalize on the opportunity and trade him for a great return or simply role with him with your fingers crossed hoping he doesn’t get injured again in the future? A tough call as he’s a great goalie.
- Aug 28, 2011
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Realistically see teams targeting him based on cap space availability: LA, Colorado, Washington and maybe Detroit?
If there is a bidding war then you indeed trade him for a young defenseman (looking at LA here). I cannot see a haul coming back in return though given Demko's history of injuries.
Jerry the great
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Starting goalies who are in the conversation for Vezna trophies are worth far more to contending teams - particularly those that drafted and spent a decade developing said goalie - than one could ever hope to return in trade*.
If he can't get healthy, he's worth nothing in trade or as a player for us.
If he can get healthy and regains his prior form, he's worth more to us for the duration of his contract than he is to any potential acquirer as durability concerns will linger and his value as a trade chip is muted.
*The only path to a trade is if he's healthy next year and we're out of the playoff race and are in asset harvesting mode.
