[Signing] Canucks re-sign Thatcher Demko

[Ghostsof1915]

1 hour ago, Provost said:

It is kind of odd that Benning was so worried about the risk of Demko not being ready that he went and signed another starter for big money.

 

.... but 25 games played later (and even some of those not being great), he now believes in Demko enough to give him a long term contract as the 12th highest paid goalie in the league.

 

I mean, I like the bet on Demko... but it seems like a huge about face without much extra info.  Could he not have signed the same deal a year from now after a 1 year extension?

 

Was the worry about an offer sheet?  I am guessing there are enough (even good) teams who need goaltenders that wouldn’t mind giving up a mid-late 1st and a 3rd for an NHL ready guy.

Given the cap situation, and how many teams are struggling to find a good goalie. I'd say yes, this was defensive move. 

Holtby was a fall back, and it's good to have a goalie with a reasonable track record just in case. And worst case he's gone at the end of next season. This gives Mikey a chance to get some games next season and see where he stands. ( I do wish he could get some AHL games or NHL games this year, Holtby would have to be on waivers if he went to the taxi squad yes?)

Edited April 2, 2021 by Ghostsof1915

[24K PureCool]

1 hour ago, Junkyard Dog said:

Eh. Demko surprised him. Holtby was insurance.  Like JB I figured Demko might need a year or two to ease him into a starting role. Given how last season was his first as an actual regular. 
 

JB could also be wanting to know what the cap will look like long term, which you don’t definitely know till the core is signed. Once the core is signed you can adjust your plans accordingly Perhaps this means he could also be maybe looking long-term with Petey/Hughes? It could be a smart move if this is the case. 

Seem like JB always get surprised by how well the young guys played. Petey and Hughes definitely were ahead of schedule going off how the cap was structured to be alleviated after next season. 

[Provost]

8 hours ago, Junkyard Dog said:

Eh. Demko surprised him. Holtby was insurance.  Like JB I figured Demko might need a year or two to ease him into a starting role. Given how last season was his first as an actual regular. 

I think I you missed the entire point.  In what universe should 25 games make in that thought process do a 180 to the point the organization is willing to make that long term bet.

 

If they were confident enough in his potential, why insulate him to the extent and not just sign a veteran back up.  If they weren’t that confident in him... how does 25 more games suddenly make him our core starter for the foreseeable future.

 

 

 

Edited April 2, 2021 by Provost

[IBatch]

12 hours ago, Alienhuggyflow said:

Well tell that to teams like the Oilers, Sabres even the Leafs to a point have been held back because they lack a true #1.

I get what you're saying tho I don't think Holtby is terrible he hasn't had any support and I do think his game would have improved playing with the team the way they have played the last 18-19 games. All but one game he played was during a stretch of games that was the worst I have seen since the mid-80s for this team.

Not saying he would have done what Demko did but anyone who's watched this team for 30+ years would probably agree that stretch of games was some of the worst hockey this team has ever had.

I mean it got to the point all I could do was laugh because It was comical how bad every single player not named Brock or Hogs was.

Keenan era bad came to mind watching the games.    Back when we had virtually no star power, and Gelinas was our leading scorer.

[IBatch]

9 hours ago, Provost said:

It is kind of odd that Benning was so worried about the risk of Demko not being ready that he went and signed another starter for big money.

 

.... but 25 games played later (and even some of those not being great), he now believes in Demko enough to give him a long term contract as the 12th highest paid goalie in the league.

 

I mean, I like the bet on Demko... but it seems like a huge about face without much extra info.  Could he not have signed the same deal a year from now after a 1 year extension?

 

Was the worry about an offer sheet?  I am guessing there are enough (even good) teams who need goaltenders that wouldn’t mind giving up a mid-late 1st and a 3rd for an NHL ready guy.

Offer sheet is a good point and yes quite a few teams might pay that cost.    Andersson in TO is the closest thing i remember as far as a young goalie with a lot of promise,getting traded and soon after signed to pretty much the same deal (5,750,000 but yes a much bigger sample size).    Edit:  He tied an nhl record fastest goalie to 50 wins,  and with Gibson in tow was traded for 30th overall and a second...so again there is a precedent for this..Was thinking 4 x 3, basically the same deal Markstrom got with some inflation.   Wonder if seeing what happened with that (going straight to free agency once it was up), plus whatever the coaches say/think about him made it easier to buy a few UFA years.     For sure it's a more team friendly deal then Markstrom got, not so much the one extra million as the no clauses.    Modest risk, high reward, doubt he will get any worse then non-bubble Demko, which is still not bad.  Also he shares the top highest with 12-16 basically....which suggest he's getting paid like an average starter., maybe a little above that's it.    Also within 500k of the top 18, most of these guys have also been under contract for awhile, many will get raises too. 

Edited April 2, 2021 by IBatch

[JM_]

1 hour ago, IBatch said:

Offer sheet is a good point and yes quite a few teams might pay that cost.   

I do think this was a possibility if Demko went to the offseason, or after a 1 year extension, for a new deal.  NJ e.g. could offer 6.5 mil and only part with a 1st and 3rd.

 

So Jim bought a little extra protection there, and its also buyout friendly if things go sideways. 

[JM_]

8 hours ago, Provost said:

I think I you missed the entire point.  In what universe should 25 games make in that thought process do a 180 to the point the organization is willing to make that long term bet.

 

If they were confident enough in his potential, why insulate him to the extent and not just sign a veteran back up.  If they weren’t that confident in him... how does 25 more games suddenly make him our core starter for the foreseeable future.

 

 

 

I think they already made the decision Demko would be the eventual starter this offseason. What they didn't know was how much more time he'd need to take over. Turns out it was 1/2 a season. 

 

I think they are expecting Holtby to be the guy Seattle picks from us, or if not as you pointed out he's a good buyout candidate if need be. Which it may not, they might come back with these guys next season too. 

[Ghostsof1915]

So some are freaking out over Demko's 5x5? 

 

Guess what Florida just signed Spencer Knight to an AAV $2.491 million for 3 years. 

 

And he hasn't played a single NHL game. 

And they are already paying Officer Bobrovsky $10 million per until 2026. 

[Devron]

4 minutes ago, Ghostsof1915 said:

So some are freaking out over Demko's 5x5? 

 

Guess what Florida just signed Spencer Knight to an AAV $2.491 million for 3 years. 

 

And he hasn't played a single NHL game. 

And they are already paying Officer Bobrovsky $10 million per until 2026. 

Thats not cap hit though. That’s with bonuses. Which he would have to hit in order to receive them. It’s an entry level contract. Or am I mistaken?

 

Anyone freaking about about that Demko deal has no clue what’s going on. So they can basically be dismissed as an actual opinion.

 

Florida is weird man. Nobody should pay a goaltender 10 million. It’s ludicrous

 

 

[Ghostsof1915]

5 minutes ago, Devron44 said:

Thats not cap hit though. That’s with bonuses. Which he would have to hit in order to receive them. It’s an entry level contract. Or am I mistaken?

 

Anyone freaking about about that Demko deal has no clue what’s going on. So they can basically be dismissed as an actual opinion.

 

Florida is weird man. Nobody should pay a goaltender 10 million. It’s ludicrous

 

 

Bingo. Must be something in the water. 

[Provost]

39 minutes ago, Ghostsof1915 said:

So some are freaking out over Demko's 5x5? 

 

Guess what Florida just signed Spencer Knight to an AAV $2.491 million for 3 years. 

 

And he hasn't played a single NHL game. 

And they are already paying Officer Bobrovsky $10 million per until 2026. 

Nobody seems to be freaking out over Demko’s deal.

 

... and an ELC isn’t the same thing.  The bonuses are pretty standard for high picks.  He is signed for $925k

[IBatch]

On 4/2/2021 at 10:38 PM, Devron44 said:

Thats not cap hit though. That’s with bonuses. Which he would have to hit in order to receive them. It’s an entry level contract. Or am I mistaken?

 

Anyone freaking about about that Demko deal has no clue what’s going on. So they can basically be dismissed as an actual opinion.

 

Florida is weird man. Nobody should pay a goaltender 10 million. It’s ludicrous

 

 

Understand MTL deal with Price.   At the time he was the closest thing we've seen to when Hasek was doing his thing, coming off a gold medal performance he followed it up with a Hart, Vezina, Jennings and Lindsay award, only guy ever to do that.    For a year nothing was written about the best about the leagues best players without a ton of praise about him.  

 

Bobrovsky?  Wow.   He sure cashed in big time.   Paid a premium on consistency (two Vezina's, one average year and one good one over four years) and that sure didn't work out (yet) for them.   Fickle position.   

[JM_]

15 minutes ago, IBatch said:

Understand MTL deal with Price.   At the time he was the closest thing we've seen to when Hasek was doing his thing, coming off a gold medal performance he followed it up with a Hart, Vezina, Jennings and Lindsay award, only guy ever to do that.    For a year nothing was written about the best about the leagues best players without a ton of praise about him.  

 

Bobrovsky?  Wow.   He sure cashed in big time.   Paid a premium on consistency (two Vezina's, one average year and one good one over four years) and that sure didn't work out (yet) for them.   Fickle position.   

Price's deal was over priced (pun intended) at the time, and its not going to age well. 5 more seasons after this at 10.5? its buyout proof too. Bergevin's only option, if he'll even have one, is really paying to move him to a bottom feeder. assuming Price feels like going given his NMC. 

 

Bergevin's only hope is LTIR.

[The Lock]

On 4/1/2021 at 11:11 PM, Provost said:

I think I you missed the entire point.  In what universe should 25 games make in that thought process do a 180 to the point the organization is willing to make that long term bet.

 

If they were confident enough in his potential, why insulate him to the extent and not just sign a veteran back up.  If they weren’t that confident in him... how does 25 more games suddenly make him our core starter for the foreseeable future.

I think you can have varying degrees of confidence in a player. It's not you're confident or you're not. Perhaps they didn't know what to expect this season with Demko and Holtby's just there to give him the time he needs.

 

It's almost like they didn't want to rush Demko into being the starter at that point like they have since drafting him. What a thought!

 

What baffles me is here people are saying how Benning should be proactive and resign our prospects sooner than later so we don't get into some stalemate with our players, and as soon as we get a good deal, people then complain about other things like Holtby. It really seems like damned if Benning does, damned is Benning doesn't these days.

[Tower102]

45 minutes ago, The Lock said:

I think you can have varying degrees of confidence in a player. It's not you're confident or you're not. Perhaps they didn't know what to expect this season with Demko and Holtby's just there to give him the time he needs.

 

It's almost like they didn't want to rush Demko into being the starter at that point like they have since drafting him. What a thought!

 

What baffles me is here people are saying how Benning should be proactive and resign our prospects sooner than later so we don't get into some stalemate with our players, and as soon as we get a good deal, people then complain about other things like Holtby. It really seems like damned if Benning does, damned is Benning doesn't these days.

Yep. And all the chatter about letting Markstrom go is totally gone with Demko outplaying him this season. Now all the focus is on Toffoli who is having a career year it seems, and Beagle/Roussel. Can't celebrate a win without transfering focus over to a marginal loss as if every GM but ours hits 100% of the time. 

 

I'd much rather be in our position than Montreal and Calgary's. Not good enough to win now, and completely hamstrung on the future due to big win now contracts.

[IBatch]

1 hour ago, Jimmy McGill said:

Price's deal was over priced (pun intended) at the time, and its not going to age well. 5 more seasons after this at 10.5? its buyout proof too. Bergevin's only option, if he'll even have one, is really paying to move him to a bottom feeder. assuming Price feels like going given his NMC. 

 

Bergevin's only hope is LTIR.

No doubt.   A valuable lesson for other GM's, same with Bobovskry.   Sure a few times cups have been won primarily on the backs of a goalie, including once since the cap started in LA's first one with Quick (who was otherworldly)...it happens, but not very often.   Even Hasek who probably had the best 7 year stretch of goaltending the league has ever seen, wasn't enough.    Roy did it twice, why he's the best, because he did it when it counted the most, twice with a so so club.    I absolutely agree that's a terrible contract, but at the time he was considered the best in the league even by his peers, and seemed destined for greatness, and really if your the best you should be paid like the best.   Lundqvist, Luongo and maybe MAF, seem to be the last of stable high end goaltending.   Maybe Vasilevksy is creating a similar legacy right now and has a cup and hardware to prove it.    Price?  For sure still a good goalie, who might have one great run left in him, but would have to win a cup to live up to that deal and don't see the happening. 

[JM_]

5 hours ago, IBatch said:

No doubt.   A valuable lesson for other GM's, same with Bobovskry.   Sure a few times cups have been won primarily on the backs of a goalie, including once since the cap started in LA's first one with Quick (who was otherworldly)...it happens, but not very often.   Even Hasek who probably had the best 7 year stretch of goaltending the league has ever seen, wasn't enough.    Roy did it twice, why he's the best, because he did it when it counted the most, twice with a so so club.    I absolutely agree that's a terrible contract, but at the time he was considered the best in the league even by his peers, and seemed destined for greatness, and really if your the best you should be paid like the best.   Lundqvist, Luongo and maybe MAF, seem to be the last of stable high end goaltending.   Maybe Vasilevksy is creating a similar legacy right now and has a cup and hardware to prove it.    Price?  For sure still a good goalie, who might have one great run left in him, but would have to win a cup to live up to that deal and don't see the happening. 

yeah Price really had Bergevin by the balles, and got extremely well paid for it. Funny that he blew up the team around him tho right after. 

[IBatch]

14 hours ago, Jimmy McGill said:

yeah Price really had Bergevin by the balles, and got extremely well paid for it. Funny that he blew up the team around him tho right after. 

MTL kind of got screwed both with Price and with Subban (contracts).   The Weber trade at the time i didn't criticize at all, felt it wasn't going to bite MTL in the ass despite the age difference, because this is Weber, the Brad Park of the current generation of players.   Most, but not all, said that Bergevin lost that deal at the time.    Was one of his better moves really, shed some cap, and aside from Weber having some health issues, i've read some reviews of that trade that by far make him the winner despite the fear that cap recapture could eventually occur.    He's simply a much better D, plays against the best of the best all the time etc ...  Bergy is a little bit of an enigma.   Re-tools constantly...also has to face down every contract with the worst tax issues in the league.   So get that when he overpays he's got his balls in a vice every time.    MTL is a great place to watch a game.   Their bowl sucks, it's so steep and it goes up for a mile, but it's always loaded to capacity, and one look in the rafters is like a trip down memory lane.   As is the outside statues in bronze, as is the walking around between periods, like a museum with all the history.    Know they f!cked us this year, but hope they are the one to come out of it come playoff time.   Either them or WNP.  

Edited April 5, 2021 by IBatch

[JM_]

32 minutes ago, IBatch said:

MTL kind of got screwed both with Price and with Subban (contracts).   The Weber trade at the time i didn't criticize at all, felt it wasn't going to bite MTL in the ass despite the age difference, because this is Weber, the Brad Park of the current generation of players.   Most, but not all, said that Bergevin lost that deal at the time.    Was one of his better moves really, shed some cap, and aside from Weber having some health issues, i've read some reviews of that trade that by far make him the winner despite the fear that cap recapture could eventually occur.    He's simply a much better D, plays against the best of the best all the time etc ...  Bergy is a little bit of an enigma.   Re-tools constantly...also has to face down every contract with the worst tax issues in the league.   So get that when he overpays he's got his balls in a vice every time.    MTL is a great place to watch a game.   Their bowl sucks, it's so steep and it goes up for a mile, but it's always loaded to capacity, and one look in the rafters is like a trip down memory lane.   As is the outside statues in bronze, as is the walking around between periods, like a museum with all the history.    Know they f!cked us this year, but hope they are the one to come out of it come playoff time.   Either them or WNP.  

its probably safe to say all teams would try to make room for Weber, particularly back then. I'm hoping WPG is the team that makes it out of the north, hopefully by beating the Leafs in the 1st round. 

[IBatch]

Just now, Jimmy McGill said:

its probably safe to say all teams would try to make room for Weber, particularly back then. I'm hoping WPG is the team that makes it out of the north, hopefully by beating the Leafs in the 1st round. 

Id like that too.   Would be nice to see the cup come back to Canada.