There may be reason for Vancouver Canucks fans to start panicking about the health of starting goalie Thatcher Demko.
Earlier in the week, reports surfaced that the 28-year-old still hasn’t fully recovered from a knee injury suffered roughly four months prior. While some became cautious, others pointed to the fact that the season is still well over a month away. Based on a new report, however, fans may truly have something to worry about.
Multiple sources say Thatcher Demko won’t be ready for training camp and preseason games.
The club is hopeful he is ready for the regular season opener but
even that seems to be in question at this late stage of the summer.Drance and Dhaliwal
— Rick Dhaliwal (@DhaliwalSports) August 23, 2024
As per Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK, Demko is expected to remain out for training camp, as well as preseason games. It also seems that his status for the Canucks’ season opener, scheduled for October 9, is very much in question.
Canucks management has already begun looking at insurance options in the crease, with their number-one target believed to be free agent Kevin Lankinen. The 29-year-old is coming off of a season with the Nashville Predators in which he put up a 2.82 goals against average (GAA) along with a .908 save percentage (SV%) and an 11-6-0 record in 24 appearances.
The only other viable option the Canucks have in net right now is Arturs Silovs, and even he remains somewhat of a question mark. While he was able to help take the Edmonton Oilers to Game 7 in the second round of the playoffs, he has just nine NHL regular season games under his belt.
Heading into 2023-24, Silovs was pencilled in as the Canucks’ third-string goaltender, with Casey DeSmith serving as the backup. The 33-year-old is no longer available to the Canucks, having signed a three-year, $3 million deal with the Dallas Stars on the opening day of free agency.
Thanks to an impressive 2023-24 campaign, along with some big free-agent additions, the Canucks are expected to be a contender out of the Western Conference this season. Those expectations, however, were placed with the thinking that Demko — a Vezina Trophy finalist — would be ready to go.
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