The call went out for questions for the mailbag and to the surprise of absolutely no one, CanucksArmy readers stepped up in a big way. If there were a medal for asking quality questions, the Army would win gold without a doubt. And now that the Olympics are over and we all had a fun, two week diversion and distraction from our day to day lives watching the best and brightest compete on the grandest stage, we can get back to sizing up the Canucks roster for the upcoming season. 
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Sure, it’s the middle of August, but training camp is now just over a month away. So let’s get right to the many questions you posed in this week’s mailbag:
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Will Demko make it through the entire season without an injury?
&mdash; Chris Conte (@ChrisConte79) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChrisConte79/status/1822682001876611182?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 11, 2024</a></blockquote>
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This is a tough one. On one hand, it feels like Demko deserves a break and a fully healthy season. On the other, he plays a position that demands so much of the human body. As Canucks fans know all too well, Demko has suffered serious injuries in each of the past three seasons. His most recent injury forced him out of the playoffs after just one start. The Canucks will surely monitor his workload both in games and in practices in an effort to keep Demko as healthy as possible. But I can’t sit here and expect that he’ll get through a full season unscathed. Based on his personal history, Demko will likely be forced to miss some time somewhere along the line next season. If that’s the case, hopefully it’s just a minor setback and he’ll be back and ready well in advance of a lengthy playoff run. 
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How worried are Alvin and Tocchet about getting Petey off to a good start? Player movement aside, feels like knowing how to get Elias going in the hard situations is the biggest concern this season??
&mdash; Andrew Schumacher (@drew_schu_boot) <a href="https://twitter.com/drew_schu_boot/status/1822681381077721461?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 11, 2024</a></blockquote>
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I can’t speak for the General Manager or the Head Coach, but I have to imagine everyone on the Canucks staff is anxious at the very least to see their $11.6M man get off to a fast start. It would go a long way to helping Pettersson put  the struggles of the second half of last season behind him. Now, he was on fire at the start of last season and still hit a wall. So it’s not just about seeing Pettersson look like his old self in the first 20 games. He needs to find a way to stay at the top of his game over the entire schedule – and then take it up another notch in the playoffs. So, yes, the start is important to reduce the noise in the market, but Pettersson is now one of the highest paid players in the game. As such, he’s expected to perform at his highest  level from the first day of training camp through the final game of the season. I have said throughout the off-season that while the moves of July 1st were important, nothing matters more to the Canucks this summer than finding a way to get Elias Pettersson back to his star-level form.
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A key to last years great start was the core players returning early before training camp to skate together. Are they expected to do the same this year?
&mdash; Ricky Murphy (@rickferd31) <a href="https://twitter.com/rickferd31/status/1822687296417869965?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 11, 2024</a></blockquote>
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Yes. I think the players recognized the importance of gathering in Vancouver ahead of training camp and getting on the same page well before the season started. Whether it’s participating in Troy Stecher’s pro camp later this month in Richmond or taking part in informal skates in early September, look for a number of Canucks players to be back on the ice together. Main camp doesn’t begin until September 19th giving veteran players – new and old – nearly three weeks after Labour Day to get together to start building chemistry. It worked for them last season, so I’d be shocked if there wasn’t a similar approach applied this time around.
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Given TD&#39;s reluctance to work less, is there a realistic scenario, given all the wingers and limited roster spots, in which the team carries 3 goalies?
&mdash; CaliCanuck (@CanuckCali) <a href="https://twitter.com/CanuckCali/status/1822689484728918459?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 11, 2024</a></blockquote>
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No. There are only two nets on the practice ice and three goalies is a clunky way to operate at almost every level. Montreal was the only team in the NHL last season to have three goalies start more than 20 games. The Canucks need to devise a comprehensive season-long game and practice schedule for Thatcher Demko and stick to it. The club has a practice goalie that it may need to deploy more next season than it did last year. Demko needs to understand less can be more when it comes to on-ice sessions between games. He can still get in his solo sessions with Ian Clark ahead of practice without sticking around for an entire day’s drills. The club should probably build in some complete days off for Demko, too. But there is no need for the organization to tie up a roster spot with a third goalie. 
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who was a better player, Druken or Wellwood?
&mdash; Bob (@BobBlueger) <a href="https://twitter.com/BobBlueger/status/1822684113180012770?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 11, 2024</a></blockquote>
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Wellwood. I don’t know the genesis of this question, but by almost every measure imaginable, it’s Wellwood who played 489 NHL games, had a pair of 18-goal seasons and on three occasions crested 42 points. By comparison, Druken logged 146 career games, had a career-best 15 goals and 30 points in 2000-01, but those totals accounted for basically half of the offence he produced in his time in the league. He finished with 27 goals and 63 points. If you simply measure by their times with the Canucks, Wellwood had an 18-goal campaign but didn’t match Druken’s 30-point season. However, Wellwood appeared in 22 playoff games over his two seasons in Canucks colours compared to just four for Druken. So we’re sticking with Wellwood by a landslide.
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There&#39;s still a few interesting players in league unsigned. Do you see <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Canucks?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Canucks</a> handing out any PTO&#39;s to any of them?
&mdash; Rob the Siding guy (@siderRob71) <a href="https://twitter.com/siderRob71/status/1822669845831532682?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 11, 2024</a></blockquote>
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I always say ‘why not?’ It wasn’t that long ago that Alex Chiasson made the team on a PTO. The following year the Canucks brought veteran Danny Dekeyser to camp in Whistler on a try out. They decided not to go down the PTO road last year, but for a team that is still on the lookout for defensive help, there is really no downside for the hockey club. Perhaps BC native Justin Schultz is open to the idea of coming to camp and proving he can still perform at the highest level. The 34-year-old had seven goals and 26 points in 70 games in Seattle last season. He won a pair of Stanley Cups in Pittsburgh not that long ago so he is familiar to management and to head coach Rick Tocchet. I’m not sure it makes sense to bring in any additional bodies up front with all the new faces on the roster this season. But taking a flyer on a veteran defenceman – especially a right shot puck mover – when it doesn’t cost really cost anything, why not?
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Rank forwards 12-14 in ‘most likely to play’ on opening night if the roster is fully healthy. 
Podkolzin, Do Giuseppe, Aman
&mdash; MJ (@MJVanCity) <a href="https://twitter.com/MJVanCity/status/1822380878288523323?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 10, 2024</a></blockquote>
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This is exactly why teams go through training camp and the preseason. But you asked for a ranking, so here is my best mid-August guess: Podkolzin, Aman, DiGiuseppe. I think the Canucks want it to work out for Podkolzin and don’t want to risk losing him on waivers. I can see a world where the 23-year-old starts the season on a fourth line with Teddy Blueger and Kiefer Sherwood. I think with a lack of centre depth on the roster right now, Aman probably has an inside track on hanging around and being the 13th forward on the roster. DiGiuseppe gives an honest effort and has some penalty killing utility, but I don’t know if that will be enough to maintain a spot on a team that feels it has upgraded its forward ranks over the summer. That’s how I would handicap the race heading into training camp. But ultimately, the players will decide their own fates.
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Knowing that it likely won’t end up affecting training camp too much, what should we expect from the Canucks Young Stars team?
&mdash; Key (@Keywielder18) <a href="https://twitter.com/Keywielder18/status/1822367810083017090?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 10, 2024</a></blockquote>
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This will be worth watching to see how the Canucks formulate their roster for the annual prospects showcase in Penticton. With many European and NCAA players in the fold, the Canucks won’t have the services of players like Tom Willander and Melvin Fernstrom whose seasons or school years will have already started. The Canucks had 10 invitees at summer development camp just to bring the number of participants up to 28. So the Young Stars roster will likely be a mix of players in the system, but it will probably include a number of Canadian Hockey League free agents, too. Jonathan Lekkerimaki, Josh Bloom, Elias Pettersson (D), Sawyer Mynio and several of this year’s draft picks Riley Patterson, Anthony Romani and Parker Alcos will be among the players to keep an eye on. From that group, Lekkerimaki will clearly be in the spotlight from a Canucks perspective. Young Stars will also mark the first time new Abbotsford head coach Manny Malhotra will be behind the bench with this group.
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&nbsp;

The call went out for questions for the mailbag and to the surprise of absolutely no one, CanucksArmy readers stepped up in a big way. If there were a medal for asking quality questions, the Army would win gold without a doubt. And now that the Olympics are over and we all had a fun, two week diversion and distraction from our day to day lives watching the best and brightest compete on the grandest stage, we can get back to sizing up the Canucks roster for the upcoming season. 
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&nbsp;

Sure, it’s the middle of August, but training camp is now just over a month away. So let’s get right to the many questions you posed in this week’s mailbag:

https://twitter.com/ChrisConte79/status/1822682001876611182

This is a tough one. On one hand, it feels like Demko deserves a break and a fully healthy season. On the other, he plays a position that demands so much of the human body. As Canucks fans know all too well, Demko has suffered serious injuries in each of the past three seasons. His most recent injury forced him out of the playoffs after just one start. The Canucks will surely monitor his workload both in games and in practices in an effort to keep Demko as healthy as possible. But I can’t sit here and expect that he’ll get through a full season unscathed. Based on his personal history, Demko will likely be forced to miss some time somewhere along the line next season. If that’s the case, hopefully it’s just a minor setback and he’ll be back and ready well in advance of a lengthy playoff run. 

https://twitter.com/drew_schu_boot/status/1822681381077721461

I can’t speak for the General Manager or the Head Coach, but I have to imagine everyone on the Canucks staff is anxious at the very least to see their $11.6M man get off to a fast start. It would go a long way to helping Pettersson put  the struggles of the second half of last season behind him. Now, he was on fire at the start of last season and still hit a wall. So it’s not just about seeing Pettersson look like his old self in the first 20 games. He needs to find a way to stay at the top of his game over the entire schedule – and then take it up another notch in the playoffs. So, yes, the start is important to reduce the noise in the market, but Pettersson is now one of the highest paid players in the game. As such, he’s expected to perform at his highest  level from the first day of training camp through the final game of the season. I have said throughout the off-season that while the moves of July 1st were important, nothing matters more to the Canucks this summer than finding a way to get Elias Pettersson back to his star-level form.

https://twitter.com/rickferd31/status/1822687296417869965

Yes. I think the players recognized the importance of gathering in Vancouver ahead of training camp and getting on the same page well before the season started. Whether it’s participating in Troy Stecher’s pro camp later this month in Richmond or taking part in informal skates in early September, look for a number of Canucks players to be back on the ice together. Main camp doesn’t begin until September 19th giving veteran players – new and old – nearly three weeks after Labour Day to get together to start building chemistry. It worked for them last season, so I’d be shocked if there wasn’t a similar approach applied this time around.

&nbsp;

https://twitter.com/CanuckCali/status/1822689484728918459

No. There are only two nets on the practice ice and three goalies is a clunky way to operate at almost every level. Montreal was the only team in the NHL last season to have three goalies start more than 20 games. The Canucks need to devise a comprehensive season-long game and practice schedule for Thatcher Demko and stick to it. The club has a practice goalie that it may need to deploy more next season than it did last year. Demko needs to understand less can be more when it comes to on-ice sessions between games. He can still get in his solo sessions with Ian Clark ahead of practice without sticking around for an entire day’s drills. The club should probably build in some complete days off for Demko, too. But there is no need for the organization to tie up a roster spot with a third goalie. 

https://twitter.com/BobBlueger/status/1822684113180012770

Wellwood. I don’t know the genesis of this question, but by almost every measure imaginable, it’s Wellwood who played 489 NHL games, had a pair of 18-goal seasons and on three occasions crested 42 points. By comparison, Druken logged 146 career games, had a career-best 15 goals and 30 points in 2000-01, but those totals accounted for basically half of the offence he produced in his time in the league. He finished with 27 goals and 63 points. If you simply measure by their times with the Canucks, Wellwood had an 18-goal campaign but didn’t match Druken’s 30-point season. However, Wellwood appeared in 22 playoff games over his two seasons in Canucks colours compared to just four for Druken. So we’re sticking with Wellwood by a landslide.

https://twitter.com/siderRob71/status/1822669845831532682

I always say ‘why not?’ It wasn’t that long ago that Alex Chiasson made the team on a PTO. The following year the Canucks brought veteran Danny Dekeyser to camp in Whistler on a try out. They decided not to go down the PTO road last year, but for a team that is still on the lookout for defensive help, there is really no downside for the hockey club. Perhaps BC native Justin Schultz is open to the idea of coming to camp and proving he can still perform at the highest level. The 34-year-old had seven goals and 26 points in 70 games in Seattle last season. He won a pair of Stanley Cups in Pittsburgh not that long ago so he is familiar to management and to head coach Rick Tocchet. I’m not sure it makes sense to bring in any additional bodies up front with all the new faces on the roster this season. But taking a flyer on a veteran defenceman – especially a right shot puck mover – when it doesn’t cost really cost anything, why not?

https://twitter.com/MJVanCity/status/1822380878288523323

This is exactly why teams go through training camp and the preseason. But you asked for a ranking, so here is my best mid-August guess: Podkolzin, Aman, DiGiuseppe. I think the Canucks want it to work out for Podkolzin and don’t want to risk losing him on waivers. I can see a world where the 23-year-old starts the season on a fourth line with Teddy Blueger and Kiefer Sherwood. I think with a lack of centre depth on the roster right now, Aman probably has an inside track on hanging around and being the 13th forward on the roster. DiGiuseppe gives an honest effort and has some penalty killing utility, but I don’t know if that will be enough to maintain a spot on a team that feels it has upgraded its forward ranks over the summer. That’s how I would handicap the race heading into training camp. But ultimately, the players will decide their own fates.

https://twitter.com/Keywielder18/status/1822367810083017090

This will be worth watching to see how the Canucks formulate their roster for the annual prospects showcase in Penticton. With many European and NCAA players in the fold, the Canucks won’t have the services of players like Tom Willander and Melvin Fernstrom whose seasons or school years will have already started. The Canucks had 10 invitees at summer development camp just to bring the number of participants up to 28. So the Young Stars roster will likely be a mix of players in the system, but it will probably include a number of Canadian Hockey League free agents, too. Jonathan Lekkerimaki, Josh Bloom, Elias Pettersson (D), Sawyer Mynio and several of this year’s draft picks Riley Patterson, Anthony Romani and Parker Alcos will be among the players to keep an eye on. From that group, Lekkerimaki will clearly be in the spotlight from a Canucks perspective. Young Stars will also mark the first time new Abbotsford head coach Manny Malhotra will be behind the bench with this group.

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JPat’s Monday Canucks mailbag: Importance of September skates, the Young Stars roster, and is there room at camp for a PTO?

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