CRISIS IN THE CREASE
With two goalies hurt, a third inexperienced, Canucks rush to trade for a fourth
PATRICK JOHNSTON
The Vancouver Canucks have found a warm body with NHL experience to help fill their net — but they’re still going to have to wait for him to join the team.
The team acquired 27-yearold Marek Mazanec from the New York Rangers in exchange for a seventh-round pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft on Tuesday.
Mazanec’s agent Allan Walsh told Postmedia on Tuesday that his client would join the Canucks once his Canadian immigration paperwork was completed; the Canucks flew to southern California on Tuesday to begin a three-game road trip.
This means Mazanec has to fly to Canada before flying to California, quite the narrow time frame given the Canucks play Wednesday night in Anaheim.
Mazanec has played 20 games with the Rangers’ AHL affiliate Hartford Wolf Pack this season, compiling a record of 7-8-3 with a goalsagainst average of 3.01 and save percentage of .903.
In his 31 career NHL games, all with the Nashville Predators, the Czech goaltender sports a 2.97 GAA and .895 save percentage.
With starting netminder Jacob Markstrom and backup Thatcher Demko both in sick bay, the Canucks were forced to start 19-year-old emergency call-up Mikey DiPietro on Monday against the San Jose Sharks. DiPietro was hung out to dry in his NHL debut as the Canucks were shellacked 7-2 on home ice.
Mazanec is signed to an NHL contract through the end of this season.
He also cleared waivers earlier this season and so has 20 NHL roster days of waiver-free eligibility remaining.
He started last season in the Kontinental Hockey League but was signed by the Rangers to play for their American Hockey League affiliate mid-season. He played 20 games for the Hartford Wolf Pack last season and then another 20 this year.
Canucks general manager Jim Benning said he had asked the team’s director of goaltending Dan Cloutier and goalie coach Ian Clark for a list of names in recent weeks.
“They liked Mazanec, always liked him as a prospect,” he said. “I rely on them.”
He was also the right price, Benning admitted. He could have made a trade before this week, but didn’t like the prices being asked.
“Some of the other guys on the list, teams wanted secondand third-round picks for. I didn’t want to do that, to trade second- or third-round picks, with us hosting the draft (this) year.”
When the Canucks lost Mike McKenna on waivers a month ago, Benning started looking for a replacement. They’ve had 37-year-old NHL veteran Michael Leighton signed to a short-term AHL deal for the past few weeks, but he wasn’t really going to be an option for the big-league club, Benning and his staff eventually determined.
And looking at another AHL goalie, one with NHL experience but not currently tied to a big-league club, doesn’t seem to have been really considered. “There’s no one else really out there,” Benning has said before about the possibility of finding a free agent.
With the Rangers looking to promote Brandon Halverson full time to Hartford from the ECHL, they were now ready to part with Mazanec.
After Jacob Markstrom “felt tightness” during Monday’s morning skate and the Canucks were forced to start DiPietro as a result, the need to add a full-time professional goalie became urgent.
“We thought he was going to be able to play,” Benning said of how Monday played out. “But then he felt tightness; we didn’t want to run the risk (of further injury). We need him here down the stretch.”
He suggested some of the tightness Markstrom was dealing with may have been caused by fatigue, pointing out that the Canucks’ No. 1 goalie had seen a lot of action lately because of Demko’s minor knee sprain, suffered in pre-game warm-up in Philadelphia a week ago Monday.
“We needed to get through these three games,” Benning said. The Canucks play against the Anaheim Ducks, Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks (again) over the next four days.
“Demko should be ready to go then.”
DiPietro still travelled with the team to California but once Markstrom is deemed fully healthy and Mazanec is in the fold, he’ll have to be returned to junior.