According to Elliott Friedman, the Vancouver Canucks were, at one point, seriously considering moving goaltender Thatcher Demko. It seems that is no longer the case. during his last appearance 32 Podcast IdeasThere was a time this year, Friedman noted, when Thatcher seemed like Demko might be dealt with. He says that option is off the table now based on how Thatcher got back into the lineup and played so well for the Canucks.
Back in January, there was talk that Demco could be a commercial candidate out of Vancouver. At the time, things with the Canucks were falling apart. The team had relieved Bruce Boudreau of his coaching duties, Bo Horvat was going to transfer, there was uncertainty surrounding JT Miller, and basically, both unnamed Elias Peterson and Quinn Hughes were being talked about as trade candidates. This included Demko, who didn’t play nearly as well that season as he did in previous years as he quickly established a reputation as one of the best goaltenders in the NHL.
Fans and the media in Vancouver believed the reports, but most thought it would be insanely short-sighted to deal with Demko. While he struggled a bit, he was still better than any option the Canucks could replace and he was on a contract that provided value. He got three more seasons on his current contract ($5 million a season) after this season. Andy Strickland had reported in February as the deadline approached that Demko might be open to a change of scenery, especially considering it looked like the Canucks might be in line to rebuild. It was later learned that he had not informed the organization of his desire to trade.
In the end, the Canucks are not said to be rebuilding. They will re-tool and there could be big changes, but the club are looking to stay competitive, and to do so they will need a first-class net-keeper.
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