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Chapter 1: What updates are there on Connor Hellebuyck's future?
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We have Kevin Woodley joining us as well. He's coming up in the first segment, so we're going to get to that coming up in a few moments as we broadcast live from the Kintec studio. Step strong with orthotics and footwear from Kintec. And this hour of Canuck Central is brought to you by your Lower Mainland Boston Pizza. Catch every soccer match this summer.
Order a Michelob Ultra and receive a limited edition Keeper Cup. No matter who you're cheering for, enjoy every moment at your local Lower Mainland Boston Pizza. Not as many enjoyable moments today for Canada against Switzerland. Still made it a game in the second half. Ended up losing 2-1 against Switzerland. And, you know, I was...
Thinking to myself, I'm really excited that Canada's like in the mix and that they're better and that they're legitimately, you know, pushing forward and get into the knockout stage. But it makes watching the matches so much more stressful when all of a sudden you think the team is better. You know what I mean? It's like before it's like, hey, it's all house money.
No matter what happens, hey, we're happy to be here. Now it's like devastation and disappointment.
You have expectations. We were just talking about this, Josh and I. I was like, you need to lower your expectations. Go back to square one when we were like, we made the World Cup. Yeah, we're happy to be here.
Yeah, expectations ruin everything. It's like that Mad TV bit. It's lowered expectations.
There is an element, too, of like... I was just Googling that. I was just Googling the drop. As frustrating as the loss is today, we also have to recognize, like, hey, they are advancing. Yeah, they are. It's great. We have to, like, incorporate that into the emotion of today. Yeah. And they are advancing. It is a historic tournament so far for Canada.
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Chapter 2: How are Florida's plans for their goaltending shaping up?
I shouldn't. As a dog lover, I should know this. Max? There we go. Yeah. Whoville is in danger.
Max going down the hill? Yeah. When Max stares over the sled when the Grinch looks up is like one of my favorite Christmas things.
Yeah, well, speaking of Max, Crepo could have stopped that rolling ball. Could he stop that rolling ball from going in? And listen, he was great in the first half. That one save was like... Unreal.
Unreal save.
Oh my goodness. And I know it wasn't as easy as it looked, the second goal Switzerland scored in terms of making the save, but usually you get your hand on a ball like you want to make the save. But nonetheless, it's frustrating. My biggest disappointment pick is the fact that no more home games.
the knockout stage like that well if you win if they win but like you have to go to um la now for the first match and taking on south korea it looks like and that's not going to be easy necessarily is the july 7th match here i should have uh double check on that coming up in a second but that's the that's the thing for me it's the next round you don't get to play in vancouver and that's kind of the hope and i saw some people mention that maybe it's good for canada to get away from the home crowd less pressure i'm like what are we talking about no like home home turf advantage
is massive like in in most sports it is but especially in soccer it's like no you you want to have the home match like what are you talking about here you'd rather have the crowd on your side and and be on your own soil than anything else but nonetheless frustrating but um you're right we're moving on we have a chance to advance at the world cup and that's all that matters so
Let's go to the Able Auctions hotline and welcome in our next guest. It is Kevin Woodley in Goal Magazine and NHL.com. And as always, Woodley is a presentation of White Rock Hyundai. Have you caught World Cup fever at all, Woody?
You know, I'm going to be honest with you guys. As a goalie myself, my challenges with soccer are the size of the net. And so I attempt to get engaged, but then I see them and I just end up in the fetal position. It's kind of... I go to bed thinking about how big those things are.
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Chapter 3: What is the latest on Thatcher Demko's return to the ice?
Right.
Yeah, hey, like, who'd have sunk it, except maybe all of us that were saying it at the time from the goalie union standpoint. The problem wasn't the goaltenders. I mean... It really wasn't. It was just the lack of offense. And now you see how dynamic the offense is.
And listen, that said, I thought Kay Whitmore did a fantastic job of sort of finding a balance, putting a little more sort of control and limitations into the size of the equipment. Now, interestingly enough, one of the things they did was early on in the early 2000s was start enforcing an existing rule about the height of the knee stacks that the goalies land on.
And I remember that year was the year where Luongo tore his groin in Pittsburgh in the in the afternoon start. Everybody blamed the afternoon start. I remember having that conversation with him about it was probably more likely the change to sort of start enforcing the rules on the maximum height of the knee stacks.
And so when you drop into the butterfly, the higher your knee is off the ice relative to your ankle. So you want your ankle and your skate on the ice, the higher your knee is. the less tension there is throughout the chain, ankles, knees, hips, but especially hips, you get higher up off the ice. You require less internal rotation to get wide butterfly flare, all these things.
And so when the NHL cracked down on that, um, you saw injuries a lot. Now we see, you know, hip injuries are like a boutique thing for goalies. Um, you know, full credit, uh, on Instagram, Cain Van Gate, for sort of planting this seed back into the conversation. Former teammate in real life on his real name of Kevin BX at Bowling Green. But he's a goalie influencer.
And he's like, hey, like, is it time to maybe think about easing up on this wear and tear by allowing a higher knee stack goal? These get taller, butterflies get wider, but they also stay healthier. So I thought that was an interesting point as we get to, you know, this stage of,
Clearly, nobody thinking that the equipment is a problem when it comes to the amount of goals being scored in the NHL today. And last point, because I've always got to have the goalie unions back on this one, the reason there's so much offense in the National Hockey League right now is because they finally caught up.
Goal scorers finally realized that the summer just wasn't about bigger, faster, stronger. Goalies have been working on skill and technique for 20-some-odd years every summer starting June, July.
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Chapter 4: What challenges does Thatcher Demko face after his injury?
Because Carolina doesn't give up quantity, but they give up quality. Connor Hellbuck, the year he won his third Vesna and Hart Trophy, was one of just three goalies in the entire league to have an expected over 900.
You know, understand, just as the Winnipeg Jets, even on their own coaching staff, seem to struggle to understand that, hey, if we get that Connor Hellbuck back from the Olympics, we got a chance to make the playoffs. You can't get that Connor Hellbuck back. your team isn't as good defensively as the one he played behind on team USA. Like we saw what happened even in the gold medal game.
Like, you know, when we talk about slot line plays, well, you know, McKinnon misses one and he makes a miraculous save with a stick on the other. When he's in Winnipeg, he it's not two or three of those in a gold medal game. It's seven or eight.
And the fact there are so many means he can't stay as patient and a square on the initial guy with the puck before the pass is made, which means that that guy shoots and He's in worse position to stop even that one. So it's just so much about goaltending not existing in a vacuum. And none of this is to diminish a guy who, you know, is fair argument for the best goaltender in the world right now.
But there are things in every goalie's game, strengths and weaknesses. And there are some teams that I've seen bandied about that, frankly, I don't think their defensive profile fits to his strengths. And by God, I hope we are past the stage of he's a good goalie. So he'll be a good goalie here.
If you're making those investments, you better have an idea whether his strengths fit the strengths of your team and weaknesses as well.
So we've heard Florida, of course, we've heard Buffalo, for instance, as well. And on Hellebuck, like of the teams that may be interested, like where do you think would be the best fit for him?
Like Florida, Florida does defend pretty well overall. Um, And they tend to take care of the chaos pretty well, especially in the postseason. And so that chaos in front of the net is something that we didn't see in the Olympics, for starters. Not nearly to the same degree we saw in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
But I think that chaos, those broken plays, the bodies in front, the traffic, those are areas, at least statistically, where you haven't gotten the same amount of Connor Hellebuck in years past as you get in other situations. And so I do think Florida would be a good fit. My questions on Florida are more just like, do they have the resources? Detroit would make sense.
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Chapter 5: How does the goalie market look for the upcoming season?
And we'll get to him in a second because I know he shared on social media that he was back on the ice.
Yeah, and that was good stuff.
Yeah, exactly. But on Kevin Lankanen... I'm not saying the Canucks are shopping him or moving him, but let's just say, for instance, if they were to do something along those lines, does any destination make sense for him this year?
Or is he also kind of, to your point, being viewed as a bit of a distressed asset considering the year he's coming off of and the other options available in the market?
Well, I think he's showing the most goalie people know he's capable of more. You know, the problem is, the upside most people see still doesn't match the contract and the ticket that they gave him, right? Like that's the problem. That's the challenge.
And so are there probably a lot of teams that would view him as a really, you know, even an upgrade on what they have or what's available, um, elsewhere in that one B roll? Absolutely. But at four and a half with this much term left, if you've got any uncertainty, um, you know, less so more difficult. So, uh, it's such so much volatility in goaltending these days.
And I think a lot of that is because the changes in environment are so extreme around these guys from one year to the next, even on the same team, you can have coaching staff, personnel changes, all of a sudden how you're reading off guys, how they're executing in the D zone, like it all changes. So it's, it's really, it's, it's tough. Like it's tough markets, tough market to bet on.
It's why you probably want to have, you know, you probably want to have a room full of smart goaltending people and, helping you make those decisions. You probably want to have smart analytics. And I don't mean just have analytics because I tell you right now, Tristan Jari that the Edmonton Oilers was largely an analytics based decision, just wasn't good analytics.
So, you know, you better surround yourself with people you trust that know the position that can evaluate, can take good analytics, use that information, apply the eye test and add it all up and also fit it into your like I said before, not just he's a good goalie. He'll be a good goalie here. Like fit it into, I'll give you one extreme.
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Chapter 6: What factors affect the trade market for goalies like Hellebuyck?
And so I think part of this is, you know, like outside of Philip Peronic, I understand there's a lot of noise around that, but outside of Philip Peronic, you know, you're, you're, I don't know that you're forward the first on a lot of people's lists. Right. And that's just the reality they face right now. So, um, is there urgency?
Not to make a bad deal, but I understand when people see how good the deal seemed to be from the seller's standpoint, why a lot of people would want to see the Vancouver Canucks in on it.
Yeah. No, I'm with you. I want to see them move Heronic at some point, but I'm willing to give it time to see that happen. It doesn't have to be today. But before we let you go, I know you got to go and tee up here coming up in a few minutes, but... On the Thatcher Demko part, so he shared on social media he was on the ice for the first time. He felt good about it.
The Canucks shared that as well. Considering the injuries he's come off of, the fact he's on the ice here late June, is that a really promising sign?
Yeah. Yeah. And it kind of fits the timeline you would expect like six months on, on a hip surgery. Like there's so much variety in it. You know, Pecorine came back for the start of the season, got an infection and missed the start of the season. Tim Thomas had it in his late thirties at the end of a long playoff run and was back for the start of the next season.
Tuka Rask never, I mean, he came back, but never really got all the way back. Right. So there's, there's such a wide variety of outcomes, especially as goalies get older. And as we've said, Nobody's ever had it twice that I'm aware of on the same hip. So to see him back and sort of on the timeline that makes sense is encouraging. Can I be honest?
I didn't see the photo, but somebody described it to me. And I think it's Graham Poole. I'm not sure because I haven't seen it, like I said, on a golf course right now. But to me, the most encouraging thing might have been the fact that there's medical staff there. And that's part of why he stayed in Vancouver, I assume. Because what? was the first knee surgery four years ago?
Yeah, that sounds right. Yeah. Yeah. Like, sorry, time is a flat circle. Um, and I'm old and I've been in the head by both golf balls and pocket. I'm not that bright, but the first knee surgery, he was living in San Diego, I believe at the time. And he came off of that knee surgery and got back on the ice with no medical supervision, no team supervision whatsoever, nothing.
And he went like a bat out of hell, like a caged animal, like just let's go, let's go, like 100 miles an hour right out of the gate. And by the time he got to camp, everything hurt. Because he told me so. Everything hurt, including the hips. The fact that they're out there, the fact that he stayed here, the fact that they're part of this process, their medical team is very encouraging.
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Chapter 7: What insights does Kevin Woodley provide on goalie performance?
trying to come back. I can't imagine the grind mentally. I can't even pretend to try and put myself in those shoes and how hard that must have been. Hopefully there's some light at the end of the tunnel that this, not only that he gets back, but that this time it's for good.
I hope so, certainly. And to clarify, it was Graham Poole in the photo who's a rehab therapist for the Canucks wearing Canucks gear as well. But Woodley, listen, man, have some fun on the tee. Stay hydrated. I know it's going to be a hot one. Stay straight as well. Yeah, straight and hydrated.
Boom. I mean, let me tell you, the straight ain't happening. Let's just hope nobody gets hurt.
Middle of the fairway, Woodley. You got it.
Yeah.
But only if I use the putter, Bick. But definitely, definitely, I will stay hydrated. Does 5% count? Yeah, that's good.
That's still 95% water. Yeah. Thanks, guys. You got it. That is Kevin Woodley, and he is a presentation of White Rock Hyundai on Sportsnet 650. Visit the showroom on King George and White Rock or whiterockhyundai.com. Yeah, so, you know, on the Thatcher Demko part, it's good to see him back on the ice, honestly. It's good to see him back on the ice.
And from the Canucks perspective, especially where things are at, people always ask us about, oh, what about Demko? What about a trade for Demko? And it's like, he's going to show he's healthy. And then once that happens, at some point in the season, we might be able to have that conversation. But we're so far away from having that discussion right now.
I would assume an acquiring team would want at least a season's worth of data. At least until the deadline. At the very least until the deadline. Even the deadline, I would say, unless... Like, the only way it's valid is a heavy workload.
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Chapter 8: What is the significance of Demko's on-ice return for the Canucks?
But... You need a season's worth here.
Yeah, 100%. So it's good to see. Have to give him some time here to see where things are at with Thatcher Demko. But the first thing you can do is get healthy and get on the ice. It's good that it's June and we're talking about him on the ice. Yeah, exactly. Hopefully he'll be in good stead by the time training camp rolls around in relatively early September this year.
The season's starting a bit earlier. All right. Guests on Sportsnet 650 call in on the Able Auctions hotline. Email sales at ableauctions.ca to get your business assets sold and your building cleared. We are going to get to the open coming up in the next segment. Jam Pro, not satisfied with your current cleaning service? Jam Pro delivers consistent results and responsive customer service.
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