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