Canucks, woulda, coulda, shoulda 24-25

[Fogghorn]

Training camp has started but the biggest news is Demko. No timeline for Demko's return. Apparently a very, very rare injury, with no hockey goalie known to have had it before. Making progress and hopeful of a full return but not sure when

https://canucksarmy.com/news/vancouver- ... -live-blog" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Scott 679]

Isn't this an injury where he will never fully recover and has to learn how to play with it or has that changed?

[Pokecheque]

Good thing the Canucks keep making goalies because, yeesh, they keep going through them like nobody's business.

And that's not a dig on the Canucks or Clark, it's just bad luck.

[Fogghorn]

Isn't this an injury where he will never fully recover and has to learn how to play with it or has that changed?

From what I've read, that's not the case, maybe. The injury is just really rare, with little knowledge of it world wide. So they have cobbled the best plan they can for rehab.

When you get into situations like that, I think Demko is trying to be optimistic here, as anyone would, but reality is who knows how it will turn out?

[the Cunning Linguist]

Just heard about Dakota Joshua's testicular cancer scare... Has anyone heard of the timeline for his return?

[Fogghorn]

Just heard about Dakota Joshua's testicular cancer scare... Has anyone heard of the timeline for his return?

I read and old man brain forgot it already. I believe it was expected to be a couple weeks into the season, not much time missed.

[Fogghorn]

https://canucksarmy.com/news/canucks-vi ... ht-nhl-ice" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I can't believe how excited I am about the Nucks prospects. Normally I am excited because the team is so bad there is nothing left to hope for but the prospects, but honestly they weren't all that good historically. It was just wishful thinking excitement.

Still ticked that they let Podz go, I still feel he has 2nd line ceiling, although his floor is definitely AHL. But to send him to Edmonton because they grabbed to many forwards in free agency bothers me.

Having said that, Bains, Sasson, Karlsson would all be on this team already if this was 2017.

Alriksson is not near NHL ready but boy does he have potential. Nice hit last night but more than that he fought John Hayden. He is a very strong 19 year old to handle Hayden that well. So looking forward to the player he becomes in a couple years.

Aaty Raty should make the team, however he probably won't. Waivers and depth being a problem. But he will get called up this year and is going to be an NHL player.

EP dman is big, strong but needs time in the AHL but will almost for sure be a capable NHL player.

Lekkerimäki might make the team as a top line player, or be given sometime in the AHL. If AHL bound, he'll definitely make the team next year.

Its not a farm team that has an abundance of potential all stars but it is really nice to see that there are options on the farm, and good solid options coming along in the pipeline.

[Pokecheque]

Nah, Podz seems like a good guy and all but he just doesn't have the skill. Puts up decent numbers at the AHL level but nothing really spectacular.

I'm tellin' ya, next time the Canucks land the 10th overall pick, trade it. DO NOT use it.

[Fogghorn]

So of all the players, right now it looks like Raty is most likely to join with Silovs as rookies on opening night. He's been great at faceoffs, and switches up so he can take them from either side. He's been defensively responsible, works hard, and made big improvements in his skating. It didn't look like he could bump anyone, with waivers being an issue but he is playing so well not sure they will send him down.

Lekkerimäki continues to do well, a couple assists and a goal in preseason but mostly just always aware of the play and always in position. However waivers being an issue as Canucks overloaded on wing, and it would probably help his development to be in the AHL for half a season or a full season so he probably won't make the team but on a weaker team definitely would.

The third player under consideration is quite a surprise Kirill Kudryavtsev of Soo Greyhounds. 20 years old, had an excellent season last year but was really there #3 dman in the pipeline well behind Willander and Pettersson. He's been their best dman in a couple perseason games, so far has earned a bottom pairing position but again could use some time in the AHL so probably ends up there.

All of these players would make the Nucks just a couple years ago but this team is a lot stronger, deeper. Its a good problems to have.

[the Cunning Linguist]

Been hearing and reading the same things. Sucks about Podz but I think he just doesn't have the skill to displace any of the wingers ahead of him on the roster, but being lined up with Connor McJezus can make up a lot of that deficit. So good for both teams to find a win-win.

Really pleased to see that Raty is making the grade. Aman might be the 13th forward as a result (PdG cleared waivers, thank goodness) but I see that Patera was claimed by the Bs.

Lekkerimaki hasn't looked out of place; looking forward to seeing if he'll light it up in the AHL. Likewise, D-Petey and Willander (in college) and all the rest. Wasn't sure about the strength of their prospect pipeline but this pre-season and the Young Stars tournament was a nice reassuring step forward.

[Fogghorn]

So Bains got cut, Raty stays with the team for now. Nice, starting the season with two rookies, but should have been one more if they didn't go out and go overboard with forwards in FA. Damn, this team is absolutely stacked at forward. But they never address their biggest need and that was a legit #3 rhd. I know they are hard to come by, but they had the wingers on the farm, it wasn't their greatest need.

[Pokecheque]

Well that was an eventful game.

[Fogghorn]

silovs is concerning. Forberg Desharnis worrisome. Got some bugs to work out.

[CanuckinOz]

Interesting article on Brannstrom, be interesting to see what happens when he gets his chance.
https://canucksarmy.com/news/erik-brann ... anucks-use

[Fogghorn]

https://www.vancouverisawesome.com/canu ... er-9650607" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Great story on how Edler was drafted. He was in a lower tier league, most scouts never ever saw but one from Detroit did and accidentally let it slip out that he was interested. Gradin made the trip to see Edler, shenanigans ensued and Detroit lost out. Good hockey read.

[Fogghorn]

The numbers don’t lie. Elias Pettersson doesn’t look anything like the same player that roared out of the gates last season. According to NHL Edge data, both his skating and his shot velocity are down considerably from a year ago. Last season, Pettersson clocked a season-high skating speed of 22.4 miles per hour and registered 111 bursts over 20 mph including three over 22 mph. His hardest shot was 97.67 miles per hour, with 15 of them topping 90 mph mark. Compare that to the first nine games of this season when Pettersson’s top skating speed was measured at 21.7 mph and his hardest shot has been 82.9 mph — the only shot over 80 so far this season.

So he has significant problems skating, and shooting. And I'd say this goes back to January of last year. Whatever his issues are I have to hope they are going to heal, or his contract is going to be a huge problem.

[Fogghorn]

Aman clears waivers. Looks like the team is keeping Bains up, probably even after Joshua comes back. And I'm guessing Raty gets called up before either PDG or Aman. Its nice, the youngsters are coming, and there are actually a couple solid players in Aman and PDG to be called on if needed. Hopefully we'll never see Karlsson up again, he's a good AHL player but don't think he has the speed or hands to ever be an NHL regular even with a bad team, much less the Nucks.

Now the team needs the young dmen to keep progressing, so they can be at the point of being called up. Really no one going to make it this year unless the team is absolutely blasted by injuries.

Still need that #3dman, I've been going on about this for nearly a year now. Defense drives offense, and I think the teams struggles begin and end with the big fall off from Hronek to Meyers/Scoucy one of who should be on the third pairing.

And if Hughes gets injured, this team will come completely unglued. He's going to be team MVP for the next decade. Its funny that we were arguing over who was more important him or EP40, for the teams future only a year ago. That verdict is clear now.

[Fogghorn]

I think I've come around to being okay with trading Hoglander. The player this team really, really needs is Ramus Andersson. If Hoglander has to be the key piece going back that's okay. He's a good fit for Calgary, 24 goals last year in really limited minutes, no pp time, and most of his time on the 4th line. He can easily blossom into a 30 goal guy for Calgary on the top two lines.

And the team has Mynio, Lekkermaki, Bains, and Raty, three if not all 4 will need to be in the NHL next year. They are going to have to make room for these guys at forward. If Hoglander can get the right return, I'll be fine. And that is quite surprising to me, considering how I felt about the idea of them trading him last year.

[Pokecheque]

Quick stat check after 11 games:

Goals For %: 56.25 (9th)
Expected Goals For %: 55.73 (4th)

Goals Against: 21 (23rd)
Expected Goals Against: 18.55 (2nd)

Shot%: 10.56 (6th)
Save%: 90.99 (17th)
PDO: 1.015 (11th)

So, in a nutshell, the team appears to be playing elite-level hockey, but they're not getting elite-level goaltending. They also appear to be on a percentage-driven shooting run that may or may not be sustainable, but their other underlying metrics are so good that it shouldn't matter too much...unless the goaltending continues to struggle.

[Fogghorn]

Quick stat check after 11 games:

Goals For %: 56.25 (9th)
Expected Goals For %: 55.73 (4th)

Goals Against: 21 (23rd)
Expected Goals Against: 18.55 (2nd)

Shot%: 10.56 (6th)
Save%: 90.99 (17th)
PDO: 1.015 (11th)

So, in a nutshell, the team appears to be playing elite-level hockey, but they're not getting elite-level goaltending. They also appear to be on a percentage-driven shooting run that may or may not be sustainable, but their other underlying metrics are so good that it shouldn't matter too much...unless the goaltending continues to struggle.

You'd need to break out Silovs numbers from Lankinen. Lankinen has been quite good. Lankinen, 0.923 sv% Silovs 0.797. If Lankinen can maintain even close to that, he gets the starter position and payday he wants in next years FA.

Word has it that Demko is being asked to learn to play through the pain. That resting will not help him, the pain is not going to go away. If he wants to continue his career then he needs to adapt style and play with pain. If that's the case, he may never be the goalie he was so we kind of have to hope Lankinen can continue, or Silovs can figure out how to handle mid range shots, or Tolopilo refinds the form he had as a rookie in the AHL and improves on it, as he kinda sucks this year.

Its strange 10 months ago, goal seemed to be a position of real strength and depth in this organization. Now red flags on every option.