Vancouver Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko continues to make progress in his injury recovery.
The Vezina Trophy-caliber netminder is expected to return to participating in practice sometime this week according to TSN’s Darren Dreger. When he does, it will mark the first time he’s practiced with his teammates in over six months.
“The hope is that Thatcher will return to the full team practice at some point this week,” Dreger said on Sekeres & Price today.
Demko was spotted on the ice before practice at UBC last week. He’s been seen taking shots from coaches and teammates and practicing goalie movements, but he’s yet to participate in a full practice.
The All-Star goalie hasn’t taken part in a full practice since before he was injured on April 21.
When he does return to the ice sheet with the team, that will mark a huge milestone in his recovery process. How he feels after those sessions will then decide how the team moves on from there.
“A return to the crease in terms of game action is inside three weeks, but that timeline is probably going to either be shortened — I don’t think it’ll be lengthened, but it could be shortened depending on how he feels after a couple of practices,” continued Dreger.
A Demko update from @DarrenDreger. #Canucks @mattsekeres @justBlakePrice
Presented by @White_Spot | #ThePlaceForEveryone pic.twitter.com/UwHZC3MeKD— Sekeres and Price (@sekeresandprice) November 4, 2024
Demko has been dealing with a rare knee injury, reportedly to the popliteus muscle, suffered in the first game of the first round of last year’s playoffs. He and his doctors could not find another hockey player who had suffered the same injury, leading to lots of question marks in his recovery.
While originally the hope was that Demko would be able to return for the playoffs, his recovery has now stretched out over many months. Finally, he seems on the brink of returning to action for the Canucks.