Demitra: To Be or Not To Be?

Yes, that is the question in Vancouver. Although Demitra is known for a history of injuries, simply referencing the Canuck’s IR does not always tell you on whether or not he will be showing up at the rink that night. There are plenty of evenings where he is fully dressed and taking shifts, and yet he is no where to be found on the ice.

These nights are going to have to be fewer and farther between if the Canucks want to have any chance at doing some damage in the Western conference.

Demitra was brought into Vancouver to fill the void left by the departing captain, Markus Naslund. When GM Mike Gillis tendered the $10M dollar offer to Mr. Mats Sundin, his initial plan was to have him play on a line with his Swedish counterpart. When Sundin decided to take his time deciding on the offer, Naslund couldn’t wait any longer and he instead headed for greener pastures out in New York.

Demitra was signed shortly thereafter.

As was planned, the winger is now playing on a line with Sundin and thanks to their line-mate Ryan Kesler, they have been the Canucks’ best lines. Vancouver has won 5 of their last 6 and are back into the playoff picture and Demitra is playing some of his best hockey since joining the team.

The big question however, is which Demitra will show up in the playoffs; the poised playmaking Demitra, or the disinterested Demitra who is just along for the ride? There is no doubt as to the talent of the Slovak forward, but it’s the consistency that worries the Vancouver brass.

Pavol Demitra can put on a ‘going through the motions’ display that even Jenna Jameson would be proud of.

As for his historical playoff performances, they too have been spotty. In his last 3 trips to the playoffs, Demitra has averaged half a point a game with 8 points over 16 games. Each year he scored just one goal and each year his team was eliminated in the first round. The two years previous to that however, Demitra averaged a point a game with 6 goals and 11 assists over 17 games.

Pretty impressive.

Whether or not former Minnesota Wild will be the upgrade that Gillis was looking for is yet to be seen. So far in the regular season, his stats have been quite similar to those of Naslund’s over in New York. Naslund has 17 goals and 35 points compared to Demitra’s 15 goals and 34 points.

The only difference is that Demitra has done it over 15 fewer games.

Both the Rangers and the Canucks have been sinking in the standings, however, the recent win streak in Vancouver has fans out planning the parade route once again.

What Demitra will be, or not be, will be the big question going down the stretch. The one thing we do know is that he has landed himself on a line with the Prince of Swedin. If Vancouver fans have any yearning for a cup this year, they better hope that Sundin isn’t seeing ghosts come playoff time.


Ryan D. MacIntyre
thejackass@hockeyjackass.com