Demko ready for bigger role next season

After taking over in net during the playoffs for the injured Jacob Markstrom, Vancouver Canucks' young goaltender Thatcher Demko is ready to prove that he can be the starting goalie in Vancouver.

In four playoff game in 2020, Demko had a record of 2 wins, 1 loss, a 0.64 GAA, a .985 save percentage, and 1 shutout. It appeared to everyone in the hockey world that Demko would be the Canucks goaltender of the future, especially after a playoff performance like he had this year.

On the opening day of free agency, Vancouver lost their starting goalie Jacob Markstrom, who went on to sign with the Calgary Flames on a six-year contract worth $36 million ($6 million AAV). In response to that move, the Canucks went and made their own splash in the goaltending market, signing former Stanley Cup champion Braden Holtby to a two-year contract worth $8.6 million ($4.3 million AAV).

While it appears on paper that Holtby may be the starting goalie, that may be the case for only the 2020-21 season. With the Canucks needed to protect one goaltender for the 2021 NHL expansion draft, they would have to choose between Demko, and Holtby. It's quite likely they'll choose to protect Thatcher Demko, and expose Braden Holtby, especially if the Canucks view Demko as their starting goaltender for years to come.

As most starting and backup goaltenders are, Demko and Markstrom were friends. When talking in an interview with Sportsnet, Demko talked about Markstrom leaving in free agency.

“I woke up on free-agent day and Marky asked me to call him,” Demko recalled. “I think I got that text at 3:00 a.m. because he was back in Sweden. I called him right away, and I think it might have been right when he was finalizing his deal in Calgary because he didn't answer. All of a sudden, my agent texted me and let me know that Marky had moved on. It was weird. It was something everyone knew was a possibility but you don't really feel the weight of it until it happens.”

“You can try to prepare yourself as best as you can, but when you get that text, it's tough. Friendship-wise, he's been my goalie partner ever since I got up here. It's definitely tough but, obviously, a great opportunity now.”

He went on to discuss how he's ready to take the next step in his NHL career.

“I think last year was a good year for me to go through some ups and downs and learn a little bit more about what it's like to be (in the NHL) full time,” he said. “I remember my first year in Utica (in the American League) was a really similar year, and I was able to come back in my second year after learning so much and applying things I'd picked up. I feel really confident going into this year. I'm right where I want to be in my career right now.”

“I think there's a lot on the table and I'm just really excited to get the opportunity take that next step. I want to be in Vancouver as long as I can. I want to be the guy. This is the next step in that direction.”

Demko, 24, was drafted in the second round, 36th overall by the Vancouver Canucks in the 2014 NHL entry draft. In 37 regular season games he has a record of 18 wins, 13 losses, 3 overtime/shootout losses, a 3.02 GAA, and a .906 save percentage. In 4 career playoff games he has a record of 2 wins, 1 loss, a 0.64 GAA, a .985 save percentage, and 1 shutout.

Internationally, Demko has represented the USA on multiple occasions, most recently at the 2019 IIHF World Hockey Championships. In 2 games, he had a record of 2 wins, 0 losses, a 2.00 GAA, and a .920 save percentage as the USA finished seventh following a loss to Russia in the quarter-final.

For a brief moment in the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs, @Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko walked on water.

Now, with former teammate Jacob Markstrom gone, he's looking to build on that success. (✍️: @imacSportsnet)https://t.co/S8x6gliefN— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) November 29, 2020

Source: Sportsnet

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