The Canuck Way Mailbag: Demko, Edler, defence pairings, jerseys, more

Demko, Podkolzin & Flames rivalry

I honestly think we are going to see the Thatcher Demko we saw during the last three games of the second round against the Golden Knights. He probably won’t post the same stingy numbers, but I refuse to believe that those games were just a product of someone on a roll. There was just something about how calm and controlled he was that gave me confidence that he could build on that performance and become a regular starter in 2020-21.

With Braden Holtby replacing Jacob Markstrom, Demko will have another capable veteran goaltender to bounce ideas off of and mentor him to greatness. More importantly, goaltending coach Ian Clark will also be there to help him hone his game and adjust to the heavier workload of being a starter. Basically what I am saying is, of all the changes that have happened to the roster, Demko should be the least of our worries right now.

Entry-level contracts (ELCs) are like gold right now, you should hold onto them as long as humanly possible. With the upcoming monster contracts that will be given to Hughes and Elias Pettersson next season, the Canucks will have to rely on the ELCs of Podkolzin and Hoglander to fill out the roster. With limited money available to sign quality free agents, they will be required to play significant roles in the top-nine in order to have a chance at the playoffs.

If both Podkolzin and Hoglander are able to realize their top-six forward potential within their ELC window, the Canucks will be better off for it. They already missed their chance with Hughes and Pettersson, so it’s imperative that they don’t miss the boat with them.

The rivalry with the Calgary Flames has always been fun to watch, even without the ex-Canucks littering their roster. Though, it should be extra fun this season with Markstrom, Tanev, and Josh Leivo going against their former teammates in Pettersson, Hughes, and company. It should also be interesting to see how they adjust to playing against Markstrom, rather than playing in front of him.

As for who has the bigger heart, I am going with Pettersson. His desire to win and be the best has proven to be unmatched. We saw what he could do under the bright lights of the playoffs, so I am looking forward to what has in store for us next season. The adjustments he made to his game following the physicality he had to fight through against the Minnesota Wild was very impressive, as he dominated the rest of the playoffs with seven goals and 18 points in 17 games.

The fact that Pettersson never went home after the playoffs tells me that he was not satisfied with how the 2019-20 season ended. He didn’t just stay in Vancouver because of the pandemic, no, he is already practicing at Rogers Arena ahead of everyone else. That alone should tell you how much heart and determination he has. The Flames, along with the rest of the NHL should watch out.

Reverse retro jerseys & ranking logos

I actually love the teased look of the Canucks new reverse retro jersey. I have always liked the style of the third jersey they wore in 2001 which featured a navy and maroon gradient. Swapping the navy and maroon for green and blue looks very sharp in my mind. If the entire jersey looks as good as the teaser photos, I probably will be ordering one next season.

Having said that, I hope that the Canucks don’t replace the black Flying Skate jersey they wore multiple times last season with this reverse retro one. In addition to how good they looked in them, they also won a lot of games wearing them, too. I hope that fact doesn’t get lost in the shuffle of these new and supposedly improved threads.

Keeping with the theme of jerseys, I will do my best to rank the logos the Canucks have had over their 50-year existence.

1. Flying Skate (1985-1997)
2. Stick-in-Rink (1970-1978)
3. Current Orca (2019-present)
4. West Coast Express (1997-2007)
5. Orca with ‘Vancouver’ wordmark (2007-2018)
6. Flying V (1978-1985)

As you could have probably guessed already, the Flying Skate comes in first as my favourite of all the logos the Canucks have had over the years. It may have presided over some dark times for the team, but it also was worn during one of the most memorable Stanley Cup runs of all time. That 1994 run was probably one of the first hockey memories I have too, so that may have come into play when I was creating these rankings.

Coming in second to last is the Orca with the ‘Vancouver’ wordmark, which I’m sure most of you would agree with. That wordmark was a useless addition to the logo, not to mention it made it look busy and crowded on the jersey. The idea was that people would not know the logo represented a team from Vancouver, so they had to slap the words above it to make it more obvious. That’s why I was so happy when they removed it for the 2019-20 season. The logo looks so much cleaner without it, and actually vaulted it up to third on my rankings. Sometimes, less is more when it comes to designing a piece of art.

Last and certainly least is the Flying V. According to colour psychologists at the time, yellow, orange, and black were supposed to create a happy and upbeat fan. However, fans and supporters came to hate the logo and jersey so much that the Canucks’ marketing department was forced to change it. Good thing too, because I can’t see myself ever wearing a jersey that had that logo on it.

That brings us to the end of another edition of The Canuck Way mailbag. Thank you again for all your questions. I would love to create more rankings, so definitely submit more of those next week. Until then, follow us @FSTheCanuckWay on Twitter and look out for the tweet announcing the next one.