Wake With Elias: Demko Trade Talk and Horvat’s All-Star Dilemma

Feb 3, 2023 - 2:00 PM

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Canucks News

• The big news of Canucks-land is that apparently Thatcher Demko may be on the move. Honestly, this seems very strange to me. I don’t know why, from a team perspective, this makes any sort of sense. Are you really going to be able to land a younger or better goalie, at a better price point? Like Dhaliwal says here, I suspect this is all speculation. I hope so, anyways.

• However, it would start to make sense if it’s Demko that wants out. And could you blame him? It’s not like it’s been a great time in Vancouver. Farhan Lalji is apparently hearing this, and that does concern me a bit.

• On the flip side, Kevin Woodley says he’s hearing that Thatcher is fine as a Canuck. So maybe this is all just speculation and a big game of telephone right now. Definitely worth keeping an eye on, though. Moving him would definitely count as “Major Surgery”.

• In Bo Horvat news, apparently the NHL is gonna do a weird thing where Horvat’s an Islander at the skills competition, but a Pacific Division rep at the actual game. I get that it’s a tough position, but still, the optics are weird. At least he gets to be teammates with Petey one last time. That’s kinda fun!

• Apparently Petey and Hughes will be wearing As, and that fits with the broader leadership conversation we’ve been hearing about. Both coaching and management are on record as seeing these guys as a future leaders. Petey I’ve always seen as future C potential, but the Hughes one is interesting, as he’s always seemed a bit more reserved. I’ll be interested to see how he steps up in the role.

• And Mikheyev’s surgery was successful. Hopefully all is well, and that he can come back in top form. I think in terms of the PK in particular, he’ll be key the future success of the club.

Hockey News

• A historical tidbit from yesterday. And listen, who’s to say he hasn’t scored his last yet? Something to think about.

• Some unfortunate news for Tage Thompson, who has been one of the league’s best stories this year. Good for Dhaln, but you certainly hope it doesn’t impede the insane series that Tage has taken recently.

• Mark Stone will be out indefinitely after successful back surgery. This has interesting cap implications for Vegas, as they now have a lot of LTIR money to play with. They have of course always been known to be big players, and so I suspect they’ll make some waves at the deadline. I heard the name Patrick Kane thrown around on 650 as a possible VGK target. Certainly feels like they could go all in.

• And a cool reception of the PHF by the HHOF, as the league continues to make some strides. Good to see.

BC Place Bulletins

BC Place Bulletins is a Friday WWE feature summarizing scores and news from the local Vancouver sports scene.

• Some news on the BC Lions front. The reception online seems overwhelmingly positive, so I’ll chalk this one up to a win.

• Some Vancouver Warriors news. I get the impression Jones was a big part of the team, so this appears to be a big move for them.

• And a soccer update. This whole thing was strange. It was being talked about like Herdman to New Zealand was a done deal, and then it wasn’t? I suppose I'm glad he’s coming back, but the coverage was odd. Apparently even New Zealand thought it was official. So, an interesting story, but glad he’s continuing on with Canada.