Star goalie Demko aims higher

Canucks' star netminder won't rest on laurels after posting career-best year

We're looking back at the 202122 Vancouver Canucks with a focus on Thatcher Demko. Over the past few weeks and in the weeks to come, we're breaking down the season and taking a look at how player situations stack up going into 2022-23 …

Name: Thatcher Demko

Age: 26

Position: Goaltender

Career stats: GP: 136; GAA: 2.84; Save%:.912.

Contract status: Four more seasons remaining on a five-year, $25-million extension signed March 31, 2021 that carries an annual salary cap hit of $5 million (all figures are in U.S. dollars). Remaining annual total salaries are $4.5 million, $7 million, $6 million and $5 million.

How 2021-22 went: Some struggles and strong statements. Demko's season was linked to finding his way through a sluggish start — especially losing seven of 10 starts before a bench boss and brain trust shakeup in December — and then proving he's exactly what president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford, a former NHL goalie, already knew. The new Canucks hockey czar has a franchise goalie to build around.

The proof came when Bruce Boudreau arrived because a new, encouraging voice from the players' coach resonated throughout the lineup. Demko's torrid 7-1-0 record in December featured a sparkling 1.72 goals-against average, eye-popping .946 save percentage, a shutout and career high seven-game win streak. It set the tone. A 36-save showing in a 4-2 win over San Jose on April 4 got the starter to the 30-win plateau for the first time in his NHL career and he would finish with 33.

Roberto Luongo, a 2022 Hockey Hall of Fame inductee, was the last franchise stopper to hit that mark with 31 wins in 2011-12 and he did it six times here. Demko would add another chapter to his growing book of work with a career-best 51-save showing during a 3-2 win Feb. 12 against Toronto on Hockey Night in Canada. He could have boasted about the achievement, but he didn't.

“I still think there is some stuff I can clean up,” he said post-game. “As I get my reps, that should sharpen itself out.”

That inner drive allowed Demko to keep the Canucks in second-half games and chasing an elusive playoff position. But they often coughed up the first goal, chased games and gave up too many odd-man rushes, which had Rutherford bemoaning a lack of back-end structure to support his stellar stopper.

Demko still established career bests for appearances (64), wins (33) and GAA (2.72), but played through lower body discomfort in the final month before sitting out the final three games.

“It happened probably a month ago (early April) and it was during a game,” clarified Demko. “It was just a weird little play in a weird position. I knew something was up right away, but obviously we were kind of in the (playoff ) mix there, so it was something I was just trying to play through for the last little bit.”

How the future looks: If Demko can dial in his number of starts — Rutherford cited “around 60 games” as a hedge against exhaustion, injury and being ready for the playoffs — and get significant support from backup Spencer Martin, there could be a higher performance ceiling. Hard to imagine after Demko earned weekly and monthly league honours this season, an all-star game invite and Winter Olympics roster buzz for Team USA, had the NHL participated in Beijing.

“I was learning and adapting on the fly and I'll be able to handle that a little bit better,” he said of the big 2021-22 workload. “I'm not afraid to play games and whatever the team needs for me, I'll be able to provide.”

The lanky Martin, 26, went 3-0-3 this season with a remarkable 1.74 GAA and .950 save percentage and should be a good fit in supplanting unrestricted free agent Jaroslav Halak, 37, who went 4-7-2 with a 2.94 GAA and .903 save percentage. As for Demko, the coach doesn't doubt his level of commitment.

“I've never had a goalie who's out there so early and works so hard,” said Boudreau. “Hopefully, next year we're not fighting to win every game. And in a perfect world, you'd like somebody to play 25 games and him (Demko) 55 games and then run with him in the playoffs.” Greatest strengths: “The ability to have rapid, quick and light feet gives you the confidence to maintain your foot work closer to the net, and not get into a slide when a guy is carrying the puck across. Thatcher does the vast majority of his preparation on his feet.” — Canucks goalie coach Ian Clark. Greatest weakness: The odd quirk in any performance can mess with the mindset and become a bad habit.

Is he trade bait? Next question. The envy of rivals. The Canucks have in Demko what so many covet.

The big question: Can he balance performance with rest and recovery and not invite injury?