Vancouver Canucks left no choice but to put their trust in a familiar face in an area that has been lacking
Photo credit: Bob Frid - Imagn Images.
An NHL insider has revealed that a familiar face has returned to an expanded role with the Vancouver Canucks after taking a bit of a step back prior to the season.
As everyone knows by now, the Vancouver Canucks are heading towards missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the second consecutive year and sixth time in the last seven seasons.
There have been a number of factors as to why the Vancouver Canucks are where they are in the NHL standings, whether it be inconsistent play or injuries, but goaltending has also hurt them at times throughout the season.
Entering action on Sunday, the Vancouver Canucks sit dead last in the National Hockey League with 199 goals allowed, seven more than the next closest team, the St. Louis Blues, with Adam Foote's squad giving up an average of 3.61 goals per game.
Insider reveals that familiar face has returned to expanded role with the Vancouver Canucks
With the team's goaltending situation playing a big role in the club's lack of success this season, it appears that the Vancouver Canucks have turned to a familiar face for help.
According to Rick Dhaliwal of Donnie & Dhali, Ian Clark, who served as the Vancouver Canucks' goaltending coach for four seasons has been more involved with the club over the last few weeks, helping Kevin Lankinen and Nikita Tolopilo, who are the team's tandem for the rest of the season due to Thatcher Demko's injury.
"I'm hearing Ian Clark has been more involved with the Canucks in the past few weeks...That's something to keep an eye on. Certainly sounds like he's more involved with the Canucks lately." Dhaliwal said while making an appearance on Halford and Brough.
Clark has been with the organization since the 2019-20 season, but ahead of the 2024-25 campaign, shifted from goaltending coach to Director of Goaltending, with Marko Torenius taking over his old role in Vancouver.
"When Ian approached me to say that he needed to make a change in his role to transition off the ice, we quickly went to work to find a solution. With Clarkie wanting something different at the hockey club, we were extremely fortunate to have Marko in the system and ready to take on the responsibility of becoming our new goaltending coach in Vancouver. Unfortunately, Ian can no longer go on the ice regularly to do the things that have made him successful. But this new role will fit with his expertise and having Clarkie going out to find and develop talent will be a big asset to the organization." Patrik Allvin said in the summer of 2024.
Then prior to this season, Clark took a step back and transitioned into a scouting role with the Vancouver Canucks as well as a development coach for goaltenders in the system, but with the current state of the teams goaltending, it wouldn't be a bad idea to have him around on a day-to-day basis given his experience in the National Hockey League.
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