Canucks: Holtby and Demko could be solid 1-2 punch
The Vancouver Canucks crease will look a lot different in 2021, but Braden Holtby and Thatcher Demko could prove to be a very solid 1-2 punch.
Losing an MVP goaltender in free agency is never easy. Saying goodbye to Jacob Markstrom is a tough pill to swallow, but the Vancouver Canucks know they have a solid combination moving forward with Thatcher Demko and the newly acquired Braden Holtby.
On one hand, the Canucks have a promising young goaltender who just played the best three games of his NHL career. Demko took over the crease against the Vegas Golden Knights and helped stave off elimination in what was what I consider to be an absolutely out of this world performance. Demko stopped 125 of 128 shots, earned two wins and recorded a 48-save shutout. It was a jaw-dropping performance that put him on the map as an NHL starter.
On the other hand, the Canucks welcome aboard 2018 Stanley Cup-winning goaltender and 2016 Vezina Trophy winner, the 31-year-old Holtby. Obviously, he is a goaltender who has proven himself as a legit number one guy in the world’s best league, a player who has gas in the tank left to burn. He’s a goalie ready to be the go-to netminder behind a young and talented team. He’s the perfect gap stop that’ll help Demko transition into the future starting goaltender of this team.
Sounds good, right? But it wouldn’t be Vancouver if there wasn’t some type of goaltender controversy. Holtby will be looking to regain the crease after a disappointing year in Washington, and Demko will be hungry to push for the number one spot after his excellent NHL Playoffs debut.
Next season is going to be tightly packed with a busy schedule being played on a shortened time frame. These two goaltenders will be playing hard and playing often and as much as they will be competing for ice time, they’ll need to lean on each other just as much to help one another carry the load. It’s a mix between winning for yourself to be the best and doing what is best for the team to win.
A good team is built from the net out and either way Travis Green decides he wants to play his goaltenders, Vancouver knows they have two reliable options when the puck drops to begin next season. The Canucks MVP might be gone, but Holtby and Demko can combine to be just as good in a different way. Together, as a 1A, 1B rotation, the Canucks crease has what it takes to be one of the NHL’s best.
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It should be interesting to see who comes out on top as the 1A, and who comes out as the 1B. I would assume Holtby’s veteran status and contract makes him the starter out of the gate, but there will be plenty of opportunities for Demko to steal the crease. Whoever it is, they’ll likely split games quite evenly. What do you think Canucks Nation?