Vancouver Canucks star goalie Thatcher Demko’s health status continues to be shrouded in mystery.
The Vezina-caliber netminder still has yet to fully recover from an injury suffered in last year’s playoffs. The extended rehabilitation time has been far longer than most expected, and it now seems like Demko’s recovery will stretch into this upcoming season.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman shed some light on the goalie’s health status on today’s episode of 32 Thoughts.
“He’s going to have to learn to play with this,” said Friedman about Demko’s ailment. “It’s not something that can be fixed with surgery, but it’s something he’s going to have to learn to play through. And he can play through to a high level.”
That doesn’t sound encouraging for Demko, who has struggled with injuries over the past two seasons. This latest one is reportedly an extremely rare issue related to the back of his knee.
It’s now been two consecutive campaigns where the American-born goalie has been shut down early because of health issues. It’s a concerning trend, as the Canucks need to be able to count on their starter when the games matter most.
This latest issue could’ve been related to overuse. When Demko was fighting to return from his first injury, which he suffered during the regular season last year, the organization reportedly told him he needed to play two regular-season games before the playoffs to show he was healthy and able to perform.
He did so but, in the process, may have rushed back before fully recovering, according to Friedman.
“I’m just not ever convinced he was 100% healthy,” said the Sportsnet reporter about last spring on 32 Thoughts.
The goalie subsequently hurt himself again in the first game of the postseason. He would not return for the remainder of the playoffs and is still recovering from that incident, which has jeopardized his status for training camp, preseason, and opening night.
“I don’t know that he’s going to be ready for the start of the season, but what I don’t get the sense is that the Canucks are worried he’s going to be out for half the year,” explained Friedman.
The Canucks have been rumoured to be interested in free agents Kevin Lankinen and Antti Raanta as insurance options. The organization is also taking a closer look at their starter’s practice schedule to lower the workload Demko takes on.
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