Diagnosing Thatcher Demko: Why his Vancouver Canucks teammates are partially to blame

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It’s been a miserable start to the 2022-23 NHL season for Vancouver Canucks goaltender Thatcher Demko. The 26-year old netminder from San Diego, California has just two victories in 13 starts to go with an .883 save percentage.

Add it all up and it’s pretty obvious that something is off with Demko. But is it all on him? I would argue strongly against it.

I watched every goal that Demko has given up this season. And I can unequivocally say that the Canucks have been putrid defensively in front of him. But that doesn’t absolve Demko from criticism.

There are several aspects of Demko’s game that I think could use a tweak. Nothing dramatic. But enough to help bring him back into the .910-plus save percentage range that’s become synonymous with his name.

Demko’s body of work during the 2022-23 NHL season doesn’t have any glaring deficiencies. He’s been tidy with his rebounds. And very few shots have beaten Demko cleanly. To me, that means he is still tracking the puck well.

The real problem area for the Canucks is in front of their own net. Vancouver has done an incredibly poor job of defending the low slot area. In 13 appearances, Demko has allowed 50 goals. And by my count, more than a third have occurred because of a screen or deflection. The Canucks are doing a poor job of boxing out opponents, and they’re even worse at tying up sticks in front.

Vancouver has allowed the play shown in the clip above far too often this year. And I don’t have a solution on how to save it. Demko has to honor the shot. It’s nearly impossible to read that the puck is going to be passed in that scenario.

I did, however, find a few things that I think are hurting Demko. The first of which is a tendency to shrink vertically once he drops into the butterfly. And it’s affecting him in several areas.

See how Demko’s hips lower just as the shot is being deflected in front? It’s a habit that many goaltenders have. But when hips drop, so do hands. Demko’s glove is too low. And he doesn’t shift far enough to get in front of the deflection.

In an ideal world, Demko would drop – not slide – to his left and make a chest or shoulder save. Instead, he reaches with his glove hand and exposes the top portion of the net.

I think it would really help Demko to keep his hips up and his torso upright whenever possible. Especially against shots like this.

Demko is 6-foot-4. He has a wide butterfly that seals the ice effectively. But look at all that open space in the top half of the net. Demko is playing small.

I also saw it happen on several breakaways. Demko has a tendency to aggressively lean forward as the opponent approaches. His hands are in front and his feet are wide apart.

The problem is when Demko gets ultra deep with his stance, holes open up. The area under his arms becomes exposed and the upper portion of the net is available.

I think that aggressiveness is a big reason why the Canucks goaltender has had a rough go on breakaways and odd-man rushes this year.

Keep in mind these are hard saves to make. By no means am I saying either of the goals shown are bad. But what I notice is that Demko is so far out of his crease when play approaches that he can’t keep up with the lateral movement of the puck.

Some teams prefer to let their goaltender take the shooter during odd-man rushes. It’s the old school way of doing things. And that’s fine – so long as the defense is capable of preventing every pass.

Unfortunately for the Canucks, that’s not happening enough. And it leaves Demko in a bad spot. If he takes an aggressive depth – like in these clips – he has a better chance of stopping a shot from the initial puck carrier. But if a pass goes across, he’s toast. There’s no way he can make up that kind of ground laterally in time to make a save.

I did see a few rushes where Demko’s starting depth was a little deeper than the clips above. I’d like to see more of that approach, especially considering how porous Vancouver is defensively.

The last thing I’ve noticed is that I believe Demko is spending too much time in the RVH post-integration. And it’s costing Vancouver goals against.

In all three clips, Demko is using RVH at an inopportune time. Against the Montreal Canadiens, it prevents him from arriving early for the shot. Against the Minnesota Wild, he lazily slides toward the shooter. And against the Washington Capitals, Demko ends up blocking rather than reacting. All because he’s in RVH for no reason when the play starts.

Demko has struggled at times this year and allowed a few clunkers. But for the most part, I think Vancouver hasn’t given him any help. If Demko was getting beat clean left and right, my tune would be different.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see Demko finish the season with close to a .910 save percentage. Despite a few trouble spots, he’s doing a lot of things quite well. He just needs a little help from his friends.

Diagnosing Thatcher Demko: Why his Vancouver Canucks teammates are partially to blame

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