The Vancouver Canucks could have their star goalie back in the lineup in the next few weeks.
The team anxiously awaits Thatcher Demko’s return from injury, and according to a new report, it may not be far away.
“I think he’s two to three weeks away,” said CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal on today’s episode of the Donnie & Dhali Show.
“Let’s play it by ear, and I think that if he can get in two to three weeks, that would be good.”
This update follows head coach Rick Tocchet’s positive update on the goalie’s recovery process yesterday.
“He’s had, like, four really good days, which is good,” said the head coach to the media about the injured goalie. “He’s stacked some consecutive days together; that’s a really good thing. That’s positive.”
Demko hasn’t resumed practicing with the team but has been seen on the ice working with the coaching staff. The last game he played was Game 1 of the first round of last year’s playoffs.
His injury is very rare, and the Canucks training staff could not find another instance of an NHL player going through the same ailment. This has made the recovery process more difficult than with a typical injury.
When healthy, Demko is one of the NHL’s premier goalies. He finished last year with a 35-14-2 record, a 2.45 goals-against-average, and a .918% save percentage. He finished second in Vezina Trophy voting even though he missed a solid chunk of the season with an injury.
The Canucks have been getting strong goaltending from Kevin Lankinen to start the season, so there’s no reason for Demko to rush back. However, his return will be a big boost for a Canucks team that wants to contend for the Stanley Cup this season.
When Demko is healthy, the one-two punch with Lankinen will likely be one of the NHL’s best.