The Vancouver Canucks goaltender situation has changed dramatically in the past few years. From bringing in a veteran to shelter the rising star to now bringing in a, uh, veteran to shelter a rising star. Okay, maybe it hasn’t changed THAT much.
Which Canucks Goaltender Where
A few short seasons ago, the Canucks were bringing in Braden Holtby and Jaroslav Halák to shelter Thatcher Demko. Then they paid those veterans to go away because Vancouver’s managers were terrible at their jobs. Taking a cheaper route with Spencer Martin was fine until Demko was injured where it became a bit of a scramble.
That’s when they learned the difference between opponents shooting on an unfamiliar goaltender (Martin) and one that has been thoroughly scouted (also Martin). Martin’s fantastic six-game start was quickly overshadowed by his regular-season stats. Vancouver turned to yeoman Collin Delia, but he wasn’t the answer.
Last season, the team brought in Casey DeSmith from the Montreal Canadiens. It was a way to fill the backup slot with a veteran and move on from Tanner Pearson. Win-win for everyone concerned, especially given how DeSmith performed. He started when needed not only during the regular season but also during the playoffs.
Unfortunately, he only started two games in the second season before injury led to Artūrs Šilovs taking the starter’s spot. Šilovs started 10 games with DeSmith on the bench, and it seemed like his place was secured in the Canucks rotation. But after letting DeSmith go to free agency, the team circled back around to possibly re-signing him. Why?
Atonal Chairs
The obvious reason to bring DeSmith back is that he is good enough. The soon-to-be 33-year-old has been in the league a few years and has perfectly decent numbers. The Dallas Stars recognized that and inked him to a three-year deal. The Canucks weren’t going to match that, as they want space for Šilovs to move up to the NHL soon. Just not next year.
The signing of Jiří Patera took some fans by surprise. Šilovs was a folk hero with his performance in the playoffs, so why not reward his effort? Putting him in the backup role in Vancouver was the obvious choice. And in a perfect world, Nikita Tolopilo and Ty Young would be splitting duties in the AHL. But that’s not going to happen, either.
Not to overstate the obvious, but Spencer Martin was a local folk hero, too. That didn’t work out so well when he was suddenly thrust into the starter’s role, and Vancouver didn’t want to repeat history. And the backup needing to play far more than expected is a regular part of Canucks goaltender history.
Šilovs has played all of nine regular season NHL games. He doubled that in the playoffs, but that’s still not a whole lot. Like many players his age, Šilovs’ development time was disrupted by the pandemic. His time with AHL Abbotsford has always been a split of duties, resulting in seasons of 44 and 34 starts. He and Tolopilo shared the net last year, and will likely do so again this season.
That means Patera will take a seat behind Demko for the bulk of 2024-25. His stats have been decent, but nothing to write home about. He was the third-string goalie for the Vegas Golden Knights last year and their fifth-string the year before. He has even fewer NHL starts than Šilovs, so what’s he doing in Vancouver instead? It’s kind of, but not entirely, all about the money.
Get More, Play Less
As of now, Šilovs has yet to sign with the Canucks. The young goaltender has few options, being a restricted free agent without arbitration rights. But the team doesn’t want to lowball him, either. They will have to convince him that more time in the AHL is needed for his development. It’s an easy argument to make because it’s true. But that doesn’t make it sting less.
During his time up, there were visible trends in his game. While Šilovs is quick and has good reaction time, he gets in trouble if he loses sight of the puck. He has difficulty tracking the puck through players, something that can only be improved through experience. One thing the Canucks don’t want to do is give him a starter’s role in the NHL. They also don’t want him on the bench.
We know Patera will get $400,000 in the AHL when he plays there. That should be a sizable enough hit to make teams pause if he should go to waivers. That is the worst-case scenario, with Patera doing poorly enough to get sent down. It seems obvious that Šilovs would be called up in return, but that might not happen, either.
Šilovs should get 50-ish starts in Abbotsford – if everything goes well. And by “well” we mean a perfectly healthy season from Thatcher Demko. Which isn’t likely to happen. Now, even if Demko is healthy, there are times when he can get spot duty. He can be “papered up” to the NHL level between games, earning his NHL paycheque and practicing with the team.
Most importantly, he won’t need to clear waivers. This promise will encourage him to take a bit less in the minors than a starter might normally get.
The Canucks Goaltender Chain
Any Canucks goaltender controversy that happens this season should be all about who is playing where, not how well. Right now, it’s clear they see Šilovs as a potential starter in the NHL. If they didn’t, if he were just a backup, then he’d be starting as one.
The team knows that Šilovs has things to work on in his game. But if he can sort it out, they will have spun gold from sixth-round straw. So he’s going to go where the immediate stakes are lower, but the long-term payoff is huge.
Ever since the team traded for Roberto Luongo, netminders have been a strength for Vancouver. Going from Luongo to Ryan Miller to Jacob Markstrom to Thatcher Demko to – hopefully – Artūrs Šilovs will give Vancouver two decades of great goaltending. The team is bringing him along slowly because he has a lot to live up to.
Main Photo: Bob Frid-USA TODAY Sports
