Thatcher Demko, Vancouver Canucks

How good was Demko? e 24-year-old keeper started just three games in the playoffs but he was in the heads of the Golden Knights for eight.

“The Vancouver series, against Demko probably rattled our confidence a bit in that area,” Vegas coach Pete DeBoer said of his club’s lack of finish in their five-game Western Conference Final loss to Dallas.

That’s some kind of impact. Not entirely surprising though for those who watched Demko playing Jedi mind tricks as he rallied the Canucks from a 3-1 deficit to force Game 7 against the heavily favored Knights. He stopped 123 of the 125 shots he faced, including 98 in a row, for a staggering .984 save percentage over those three contests. “He was a brick wall,” said teammate Bo Horvat.

His 48 saves in a 4-0 Game 6 victory were the most ever in a playoff shutout that did not go into overtime.

“Man, did he ever give us a chance (to win the series),” said Vancouver coach Travis Green.

That Dominik Haseklike performance made an immediate impact in the hobby, with copies of his long dormant 2016-17 Upper Deck Young Guns RC (#472) selling for as much as $50 in the immediate a ermath of the series. Demand also grew for his RPA from The Cup (#133), although the limited number offered for sale suggested that those holding it expect bigger things in the future.

That’s probably a smart bet as Demko’s long-term future, both in Vancouver and in the hobby, will come to a head before the new season starts. With starter Jacob Markstrom looking for a new, long-term deal, the Canucks have an interesting choice to make. ey could commit big money to a veteran who would have been in the Vezina hunt if not for an injury, but risk losing Demko to Seattle in next summer’s expansion dra , or roll with the less experienced keeper whose age and skill fits perfectly with the future of this promising franchise.

Either way, the hobby future looks dazzling for Demko.

“He was a brick wall,” said teammate Bo Horvat.