On yesterday’s episode of Canucks Conversation, David Quadrelli and Irfaan Gaffar were joined by Kevin Woodley to discuss Arturs Silovs’ new contract and Thatcher Demko’s health, as well as how Vancouver might approach the upcoming season.

Kevin started with his thoughts on Arturs Silovs’ new two-year deal, which comes with an $850,000 cap hit per year.

“I thought the money might be a little high. To me, this was always a max 1.1 kind of deal,” he said. “The reality is [Silovs] had no bargaining leverage whatsoever; his track record is incredibly small, and the raw numbers don’t jump off the table. He has no arbitration rights. It felt like it was one that would get done and have a small number attached to it. Now it’s on him to prove he deserves to be here and that he’s got enough upside to warrant something longer term in the future.”

Kevin then focused on what the workload might look like for Thatcher Demko next season, as many eyes will be on the Vezina finalist and whether or not he can finish out a full season while avoiding injury.

“If Demko is healthy, I expect him to be a part of the Four Nations tournament, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we see what we saw from him last year as the starter. You have to factor that in,” stated Kevin. “Your ideal target is probably in the neighborhood of 50 to 55 games played maximum. Within that, you need to make sure you don’t have windows where he stays below the total but plays at a 65-70 game pace because that’s where you run into trouble. That’s the perfect world scenario, and things rarely pan out that way, but I’d have the target pretty low. If all goes well, you have to factor in the possibility of him playing more.”

In case Demko’s workload is lessened, Kevin believes his competitive side can be reasoned with in exchange for long-term success.

“He’s a competitor and wants to play, but you have to sell him on the long-term situation,” said Kevin. “I know the narrative that surrounds him in terms of injuries is not one he’s fond of, and I don’t blame him. Some of these injuries from one season to the next are related in terms of the way things were handled, the return to play, and the lack of supervision coming off surgery. I don’t know that it’s entirely his fault. That said, he hasn’t been through a season as a number one yet, so until that happens, the questions will exist. I think you have to sell him on that being enough. That’s a steady diet, and getting to the playoffs is not the goal for this group anymore; it’s having success in the playoffs.”

Finally, Kevin discussed Ian Clark and how his approach to training has led to much success while also raising a few questions about his methods.

“There are some elements of his post play that I believe in because I’ve seen it. Some inside-out entries that they do differently so we don’t see some of the dead-angle goals that became a hot topic in the playoffs. You could argue Clarky’s goalies are in reverse VH more than anyone, but when’s the last time you saw them get short-sided high from the goal line? The way he does it, there are subtle differences; that inside-out entry, the transitions in entries and exits. At the end of the day, he demands more of them and pushes them harder than, frankly, anyone else in the league. There are some questions from people on the outside about whether some of these injuries are linked to that—the demand put on the goalies. I know in Clark’s mind, it’s the most important position in the game on the ice, so you have to be the hardest workers. You don’t last long under Ian Clark if you’re not willing to do the work.”

You can watch the full replay of yesterday’s show below: