My fellow Canucks fans, our long provincial nightmare is over.
Okay, that might be a tad hyperbolic, but plenty of Canucks fans have been worried about whether Thatcher Demko will sign with the Canucks this summer. Demko isn’t just the Canucks’ only blue-chip goaltending prospect, he’s their only goaltending prospect, period. If he went back to Boston College for one more year, then waited until August to become an unrestricted free agent, it would be disastrous.
Thankfully, that won’t be happening. As initially reported by the Boston College Hockey Blog and confirmed by the likes of Elliotte Friedman and Bob McKenzie, Demko is going pro, leaving the Eagles to sign with the Canucks.
Multiple sources indicating tonight that Thatcher Demko will sign with Vancouver.
— BC Hockey Blog (@bchockeyblog1) April 20, 2016
And now, according to noted Canucks insider Ryan Biech, Demko has officially signed:
Can confirm that Thatcher Demko has now officially signed his entry level deal with the #Canucks
— Ryan Biech (@ryanbiech) April 20, 2016
News 1130 reports that the delay in signing had to do with the emotion of losing in the Frozen Four, but the opportunity with the Canucks depth chart in net made signing now irresistable.
This puts Boston College in a tough spot, as Demko joins a number of other players who have left Boston College to go pro since they were ousted from the Frozen Four, though the Boston College Hockey Blog suggests that Demko’s replacement, Joseph Woll, is ready to step in.
It’s a logical decision for Demko, who has little left to prove at the college level and is clearly ready for professional hockey. On Tuesday I laid out the reasons why it didn’t make sense for Demko to sign with anyone other than the Canucks, so it’s gratifying to see him sign just a day later.
The Canucks will have four goaltenders signed through next season, as Demko joins Ryan Miller, Jacob Markstrom, and Richard Bachman. Unless something crazy happens, like a Miller trade, it seems pretty clear what will happen next season: Miller and Markstrom will split starts with the Canucks, while Demko and Bachman split starts with the Comets.
At this point, it seems likely that Joe Cannata’s time in the Canucks organization is done. Cannata is an unrestricted free agent this summer and will likely seek an AHL job elsewhere. While it might make some sense for the Canucks to re-sign him as depth, he would end up in the ECHL if he did. He was outstanding in the ECHL in 2014-15 and was essentially league-average in the AHL last season, so he deserves another shot in the AHL.
Demko will get every opportunity to take the number one job in Utica and will work with Dan Cloutier, who helped rehab Markstrom’s game. Cloutier looks forward to working with him, noting Demko’s competitiveness and net presence in a conversation with Ben Kuzma, while still noting areas he’ll need to improve.
Cloutier on Demko's AHL challenge: "He has to bring it up another gear speed wise. You’re up against guys who can pick corners." #Canucks
— Ben Kuzma (@benkuzma) April 20, 2016
Kevin Woodley, who covers the Canucks for NHL.com and brings a goaltender’s understanding of the game to his reporting, suggests that Demko will have no problem adapting to the pro game. Demko is a student of the game, has a dynamic approach to the position, and a thirst for knowledge, according to Woodley, so he should be a quick study.
With Miller’s contract up after next season, Demko could be in the NHL permanently as early as the 2017-18 season, depending on his development. Otherwise, the Canucks may need to explore adding a free agent to backup Markstrom while Demko develops over the course of a couple season in the AHL.
With the weight of worry off the shoulders of Canucks fans, we can now just sit back, relax, and watch Demko not play at the World Championships this year.
