Thatcher Demko | #35 | G

[Kanukfanatic]

55 minutes ago, AK_19 said:

I have to say, even with the spurt of goals let in during the last 5-10 minutes (which I blame primarily on the team defense), he was unbelievably calm  and cool in comparison to other goalies we've had in the past. I think he's going to be mentally stronger than Markstrom, Schneider, and Luongo. 

My opinion is that the bolded is quite extreme and one of those names does not belong anywhere near the other two.

 

Luongo and Schneider are two elite NHL starters. Saying they are weak mentally is just wrong imo. Have they both had bad games...sure. But to get to their level they have to be elite mentally.

 

Markstrom...is barely a starter in my opinion so maybe Demko is already ahead there. Not sure to be honest.

[Gaudette Celly]

17 hours ago, NewbieCanuckFan said:

Good first outing for Demko but don't forget it was a mean nothing game with no pressure.  Easier to look cool when nothing is on the line (who really would blame him besides "the usual suspects" here if he had a bad game?)

 

Eddie Lack looked good (put up solid numbers) backing up Miller....as a backup....when Miller had the pressure of being the starter.

In a first NHL game?  I'd say there was likely a wee li'l bit...

[NewbieCanuckFan]

2 hours ago, Hutton Wink said:

In a first NHL game?  I'd say there was likely a wee li'l bit...

Ok, a little bit but my point still stands (it was a mean nothing game).  He's had a great AHL season this year - so it wouldn't be the end of the world if we had lost that one game (at a time when one L or W doesn't mean much except to those tankers that feel a fraction of a fraction of a percent is going to mean anything).

Edited April 4, 2018 by NewbieCanuckFan

[Rob_Zepp]

On 4/1/2018 at 3:13 PM, Horvat is a Boss said:

Wow, I didn't think Demko would get a game this year. I thought that he'd earn a callup to get some big league money for a couple of days, but not actual playing time. With Markstrom and Nilsson both out it makes sense, but Bachman still could've been an option. 

 

Looking at the highlights of the game, it looks like it could've been really ugly. The Jackets are one of the hottest teams right now and Demko had been travelling for I thinkg 7 hours before the game. Columbus hit like 4-5 posts in the game and I think 3 in the first. If even two of those go in it doesn't look so good for the kid to give up 6+ goals in his first game. I think we got lucky that the game went the way that it did and Demko ended up getting his first career win. 

 

Now, I'm not saying that giving up something like 6 goals in his NHL debut would break Demko mentally; I'd be pretty confident he'd recover and look better next year. Remember when Malcolm Subban got lit up and pulled in his first NHL game? He looks pretty good for Vegas now. The thing with both of those situations is that they were preventable; Subban started against the Blues (strong at the time) instead of Edmonton (weak) the next day, while Demko had to travel shortly before playing the hottest team in the league. Demko's debut went a lot better than Subban's, but all the signs were there to suggest that it probably shouldn't have. I don't think it was a great idea to make that decision when the probable and unnecessary consequences outweighed the improbable and largely unimportant benefits. I think we got lucky with that outcome. 

Uh, you have thought about this waaaaay more than he will have or his coaches will have.   He showed he has elite reflexes and coverage on angles.   He also showed he is not ready to face NHL offences and the puck movement involved but that he is far closer than he would have been in the preseason this year.    

 

He will have gained nothing but confidence of being very close and resolve to work on those things he needs to (slowing things down is a key one).   The bolded above in your post is accurate other than he has nothing to "recover" from.   For every goalie who gets a shutout in their first game (and then goes on to have a crap, short-lived career), just as many solid and elite netminders had a very similar start to Demko - showing amazing potential throughout the game and showing the items where work remains.   It isn't about the goals allowed, it is more about a bend not break start and that those three late goals changed an amazing stat night to a mediocre one - a VERY important lesson you can bet he will remember for a long time.

 

 

[Rob_Zepp]

20 hours ago, AK_19 said:

I have to say, even with the spurt of goals let in during the last 5-10 minutes (which I blame primarily on the team defense), he was unbelievably calm  and cool in comparison to other goalies we've had in the past. I think he's going to be mentally stronger than Markstrom, Schneider, and Luongo. 

Agreed.

 

PS - what is with the picture of a Finnish figure skater?    

[Noble 6]

15 minutes ago, Rob_Zepp said:

Uh, you have thought about this waaaaay more than he will have or his coaches will have.   He showed he has elite reflexes and coverage on angles.   He also showed he is not ready to face NHL offences and the puck movement involved but that he is far closer than he would have been in the preseason this year.    

 

He will have gained nothing but confidence of being very close and resolve to work on those things he needs to (slowing things down is a key one).   The bolded above in your post is accurate other than he has nothing to "recover" from.   For every goalie who gets a shutout in their first game (and then goes on to have a crap, short-lived career), just as many solid and elite netminders had a very similar start to Demko - showing amazing potential throughout the game and showing the items where work remains.   It isn't about the goals allowed, it is more about a bend not break start and that those three late goals changed an amazing stat night to a mediocre one - a VERY important lesson you can bet he will remember for a long time.

 

 

 

If I'm putting more thought into the development of a key prospect for the future of the organization than the Canucks, then that doesn't look good on our coaches and management. 

 

Of course he'd look more NHL ready now than in preseason. That's what we should all expect; growth throughout the year. 

 

I'm just saying that it was a risky decision based on the context around his start. Coming in against the hottest team in the league after 7 hours on a plane is not ideal. It could've been a lot worse and I think we dodged a bullet. Had he gotten lit up he likely would've rebounded well, I just don't see why it was absolutely necessary for Demko to get that start considering the situation. Demko is a smart guy and I'm pretty sure he would know he's close to the NHL even if he didn't play that game. 

[Rob_Zepp]

3 minutes ago, Horvat is a Boss said:

 

If I'm putting more thought into the development of a key prospect for the future of the organization than the Canucks, then that doesn't look good on our coaches and management. 

 

Of course he'd look more NHL ready now than in preseason. That's what we should all expect; growth throughout the year. 

 

I'm just saying that it was a risky decision based on the context around his start. Coming in against the hottest team in the league after 7 hours on a plane is not ideal. It could've been a lot worse and I think we dodged a bullet. Had he gotten lit up he likely would've rebounded well, I just don't see why it was absolutely necessary for Demko to get that start considering the situation. Demko is a smart guy and I'm pretty sure he would know he's close to the NHL even if he didn't play that game. 

You are indeed putting too much thought into this.   He (Demko) and his agent wanted to see a game this year.    It was a perfect no lose situation for him.   Game was not a big one standings sense for Vancouver and he had a ton of built in excuses (some of which you point out) so other than he gets injured (which can happen in the shower, ask Salo), this was a win-win situation for both Demko and the Canucks.

 

Trust me, you don't know how close you are to the NHL until you get on that ice in a regular season game.   Going from AHL to NHL is like going from flight simulator to the real thing.   Everything looks the same but at the same time entirely different.

 

It's all good, he isn't mentally damaged.  It was a good experience.    

[Noble 6]

9 minutes ago, Rob_Zepp said:

You are indeed putting too much thought into this.   He (Demko) and his agent wanted to see a game this year.    It was a perfect no lose situation for him.   Game was not a big one standings sense for Vancouver and he had a ton of built in excuses (some of which you point out) so other than he gets injured (which can happen in the shower, ask Salo), this was a win-win situation for both Demko and the Canucks.

 

Trust me, you don't know how close you are to the NHL until you get on that ice in a regular season game.   Going from AHL to NHL is like going from flight simulator to the real thing.   Everything looks the same but at the same time entirely different.

 

It's all good, he isn't mentally damaged.  It was a good experience.    

 

We're seeing the situation differently. You see it as a no lose situation because there was no pressure standings wise and he had some built in excuses. I see it as a risky situation because we put him in a situation where it would've be easy to fail, which almost happened. If letting Demko get a game was a priority, we could've started him against whoever we wanted to before the TDL. 

[AK_19]

2 hours ago, Rob_Zepp said:

Agreed.

 

PS - what is with the picture of a Finnish figure skater?    

 Its meant for people who know me outside of this board to tip them off to my identity. The combination of the photo and "AK_19" gives it away.

[Rob_Zepp]

2 hours ago, Horvat is a Boss said:

 

We're seeing the situation differently. You see it as a no lose situation because there was no pressure standings wise and he had some built in excuses. I see it as a risky situation because we put him in a situation where it would've be easy to fail, which almost happened. If letting Demko get a game was a priority, we could've started him against whoever we wanted to before the TDL. 

Could not disagree more.   If you do that, he has to feel way more pressure.   As an emergency call up, no pressure at all.   I could totally put myself in his shoes.   If you played?   We/are you goalie?  If not, talk to one and my best guess they will agree with another goalie (me).   It wasn't a priority - that is the point, it was an opportunity that presented himself into a win-win situation...your earlier scenario could have been snake pit.

[Rob_Zepp]

1 hour ago, AK_19 said:

 Its meant for people who know me outside of this board to tip them off to my identity. The combination of the photo and "AK_19" gives it away.

I have met her Dad.  Good coach.

[fanfor42]

2 hours ago, Horvat is a Boss said:

 

We're seeing the situation differently. You see it as a no lose situation because there was no pressure standings wise and he had some built in excuses. I see it as a risky situation because we put him in a situation where it would've be easy to fail, which almost happened. If letting Demko get a game was a priority, we could've started him against whoever we wanted to before the TDL. 

I went to the game on Saturday. Great opportunity from my seats in lower bowl to focus on Demko. He was nervous to start but as the game went on he settled in. Watch a goalie skate out of his crease during time outs. You can sense how they feel. He got calmer and more composed on those skates as the game went on.

Was a very positive experience for him first game first win.  His post game interview was clear.  Very positive experience.

[Noble 6]

33 minutes ago, Rob_Zepp said:

Could not disagree more.   If you do that, he has to feel way more pressure.   As an emergency call up, no pressure at all.   I could totally put myself in his shoes.   If you played?   We/are you goalie?  If not, talk to one and my best guess they will agree with another goalie (me).   It wasn't a priority - that is the point, it was an opportunity that presented himself into a win-win situation...your earlier scenario could have been snake pit.

 

I don't think getting a start against a team like Arizona, Buffalo, Ottawa, Montreal, etc. after some time to rest after travel would've been situations that would be "snake pits." The situation he came into was a snake pit that he overcame. Calling him up before the TDL wouldn't have been a priority either, it would just be a choice to reward him for his work in the AHL, just like the actual game was.

[Rob_Zepp]

14 minutes ago, Horvat is a Boss said:

 

I don't think getting a start against a team like Arizona, Buffalo, Ottawa, Montreal, etc. after some time to rest after travel would've been situations that would be "snake pits." The situation he came into was a snake pit that he overcame. Calling him up before the TDL wouldn't have been a priority either, it would just be a choice to reward him for his work in the AHL, just like the actual game was.

No matter how much you try and convince this old goalie that your perspective is what was going through his head, the more and more sure I am confident you have this all wrong.   However, after hearing his comments upon returning to Utica I don't need to resort to my own background - he said it could not have been more "perfect" and sets him up well for the playoffs in Utica and has him so eager to work over the summer towards the fall main camp.    

[Rob_Zepp]

28 minutes ago, fanfor42 said:

I went to the game on Saturday. Great opportunity from my seats in lower bowl to focus on Demko. He was nervous to start but as the game went on he settled in. Watch a goalie skate out of his crease during time outs. You can sense how they feel. He got calmer and more composed on those skates as the game went on.

Was a very positive experience for him first game first win.  His post game interview was clear.  Very positive experience.

Exactly how I saw it and now, upon his own reflection, how he recalled it both in post-game and now upon return to Utica.

[Noble 6]

39 minutes ago, Rob_Zepp said:

No matter how much you try and convince this old goalie that your perspective is what was going through his head, the more and more sure I am confident you have this all wrong.   However, after hearing his comments upon returning to Utica I don't need to resort to my own background - he said it could not have been more "perfect" and sets him up well for the playoffs in Utica and has him so eager to work over the summer towards the fall main camp.    

 

I never said it was what's going through Demko's head. Of course Demko would want to play. He'd probably want to play all 80+ games for Utica too. I'm not holding that against him at all.

 

I'm saying that before he even played the game, the signs were there that it could've been a set up for a rough game. Management took the risk of needlessly shooting his confidence by letting him play that game. It doesn't have anything to do with Demko himself, but about managements usage of Demko. 

 

The event has already happened and it ended up well for the Canucks and Demko, so let's leave it there.

[Rob_Zepp]

Just now, Horvat is a Boss said:

 

I never said it was what's going through Demko's head. Of course Demko would want to play. He'd probably want to play all 80+ games for Utica too. I'm not holding that against him at all.

 

I'm saying that before he even played the game, the signs were there that it could've been a set up for a rough game. Management took the risk of needlessly shooting his confidence by letting him play that game. It doesn't have anything to do with Demko himself, but about managements usage of Demko. 

 

The event has already happened and it ended up well for the Canucks and Demko, so let's leave it there.

So even when they are proven right, you still think Canuck management is wrong.   Interesting.   I am sure they will mess up enough to keep you happy.   

[canuckledraggin]

I'm gonna totally temper my expectations on this kid.

 

AHL playoffs...here we come.

 

 

[Rush17]

Dahlen's with 1 goal 1 assist.

Jasek nets game winner in OT.

[Rush17]