Don't cool off yet Spence'
Listen.
There is no Goalie controversy here, regardless of the power you might have bestowed on me, accusing me of igniting such nonsense lately. But guess what I did like? You're paying attention, so let's talk MEANINGFUL Canucks' goalie talk now.
A strong candidate for understatement of the year goes something like this.
We are seeing vast inconsistencies from one of the most well respected net minders in the NHL in Canucks starter Thatcher Demko. Demko is currently entering Year two of a 5 Year deal that will pay the Canucks' 2014 2nd rounder a sum of $25,000,000 USD.
The year before this deal began, of course, was when we were given our glimpse at 'Bubble Demko', when the San Diego native put on a blistering performance. He helped push his Canucks to Game 7 of the Conference Semi Finals vs the Vegas Golden Knights, only to come up 1 game short.
Fast forward 3 years, most have all but forgotten that performance & that run for this team, if for no other reason than it taking place in a controlled setting that won't be duplicated. The here & now is what matters.
The here & now stinks.
Spencer Martin has stepped out of right field & managed to get this team a point no matter what the conditions, opponent or schedule. That in itself is impressive, but to dig deeper says he may not be ready to have the carriage tied to him yet.
He gave up 5 goals facing a fellow basement dweller in the Anaheim Ducks, with a pair of them coming a man short. There were definitely a couple he would have 'wanted back' and that kind of night can, and usually will, drown a team.
Fortunately we scored 8, well Petey made 5 of them happen, honourable mention to Andrei Kuzmenko. The rest of the team added three more & they won, no harm no foul (no fowl?). But there will be harm if he's allowing 5 goals vs the likes of Toronto or Boston, one of which he is all but guaranteed to face in a back to back scenario for the Canucks this coming weekend.
Those games are slated after they face Montreal Wednesday night, only a day after opening the trip tomorrow in the Nation's capital opposite Brady Tkatchuk & the 'pesky' Senators. The rare 4 games in 5 night East Coast sprint. That means Martin is logically making a minimum of 2 starts, and based on performance maybe more, maybe less.
The heater is hard to argue with, but the law of averages & visual trends we've seen lately makes one think the Canucks may have a dip coming their way in the play of Spencer Martin.
If at the 30 game mark, it seems Martin is the 'goalie of the future', how fast does that future become the present? Martin is very cap friendly with his 2 year $762,500.00 AAV deal, but it also means he's unsigned after next year, leaving uncertainty in the Canucks' net when they instead could have Demko locked up until the end of the 2026 season.
What new side of this team shows itself on this road trip? JT Miller spoke about being excited to be on the road, getting back to playing 60 minutes, things you expect to be day 1 stuff for $8M players. The truth stands, whether or not one of these goaltenders can muster a 60 minute performance will play into how much excitement Canucks' fans have watching from home.
What do you think?
| POLL | ||
Who should start on Tuesday in Ottawa? | ||
| Thatcher Demko | 10 | 25 % |
| Spencer Martin | 28 | 70 % |
| Ian Clark | 2 | 5 % |
| List of polls | ||
