NHL insider reveals discontent in Canucks locker room is now effecting Thatcher Demko

As recently as last season, Thatcher Demko was one of the best goalies in the NHL.

Now he appears to have fallen off, posting an .872 save percentage in 9 starts this season.

As we know, goaltending is the most mentally challenging position in hockey and now it appears that Demko's state of mind may be contributing to his poor numbers.

NHL insider Doug MacLean noted today that the veteran netminder just is not excited to play anymore.

Unfortunately, MacLean refused to elaborate on what he meant by that.

He could not provide any specific details as to why Demko feels this way, but there are a couple of things we cannot ignore with the goaltender.

The first is his lingering injury. Demko missed a lot of games at the beginning of the season with an injury that cannot be fixed with surgery.

Perhaps he is afraid of reaggravating that injury, or maybe it is still bothering him, decreasing his desire to play in goal.

Perhaps the more likely reason has to do with the drama unfolding in the team's locker room.

Earlier today, NHL insider Darren Dreger compared JT Miller to former Jets captain Blake Wheeler, noting how toxic the environment has become.

This situation has been going on all season if not longer with rumors about Miller and Pettersson's feud going back to last season.

As a result, the team has been mired in rumors and speculation, with several teams including the Chicago Blackhawks being rumored to be in on Miller.

This situation has been weighing on everyone on the team. Even Quinn Hughes is rumored to be fed up with Miller's antics, so we can imagine that Demko is fed up as well.

It will certainly be interesting to see if his numbers improve if or when Miller leaves the team.