Did Canucks coaching staff overwork now-injured Demko?
Thatcher Demko’s health status looms over the Vancouver Canucks as the 2024-25 NHL season approaches.
Recent updates suggest that the star goalie will not be ready for preseason or training camp as he continues to recover from an injury in Game 1 of the first round last playoffs.
The team had originally hoped Demko would be able to return in the playoffs, but that timeline has now been extended by several months. That could be because his injury is extremely unusual.
“What happened with Thatcher Demko was a rare fluke injury,” explained Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli on a recent episode of Oilers Now.
“One doctor had explained it as ‘you could be in practice for 50 years and never see this injury.'”
“I don’t even know if there’s anything they can do for this injury. Sorry to be so vague about it. If you gave me a million dollars to explain what this injury is, I couldn’t do it. All I know is it’s something to do with the back of his knee.”
Demko is famous for his work ethic, but it’s possible that too much work contributed to this freak injury. The goalie was often seen going through lengthy on-ice sessions before practice, and it now has been revealed that those could’ve been the brainchild of well-respected former goalie coach Ian Clark.
Clark recently shockingly stepped out of his role to become a goalie scout and goaltending development coach for the Canucks. Seravalli reported friction between the coach and Demko could’ve led to that decision.
“I think it’s fair to say that there’s probably been some friction there over the years when it comes to Demko and Clark,” explained Seravalli.
He added that the two never disagreed on the technical details of playing the position but that the star goalie may have felt like the coach’s schedule was too demanding.
“The relationship is fine; it’s been a disagreement on workload and how much work Clark puts his goalies through. He has an onerous schedule, he’s someone that really, really is on the ice driving these guys on a daily basis.”
“I think that part has led to some disagreement over the past couple years.”
Canucks president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford spoke earlier this summer about how the organization was taking a careful look at the amount of on-ice work Demko did to keep him healthy for next season.
āMaybe between Thatcher and Ian and Rick Tocchet, looking at how much work heās putting in in-between games might be able to help him because I just think he pushes himself too hard,” said the executive at the time.
With training camp just a few weeks away, the Canucks don’t have much time to get their goaltending situation in order. Having Demko healthy for the start of the season would’ve been best, but having him ready to play when the games matter most is what’s really important.