For the first time in half a year, Thatcher Demko was taking shots from his Vancouver Canucks teammates at the morning skate today in Anaheim.
Demko was spotted by Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre, who is on the road with the Canucks.
Thatcher Demko on the ice at the end of Canucks morning skate, taking shots from teammates. Another small step.
— Iain MacIntyre (@imacSportsnet) November 5, 2024
While Demko wasn’t a participant in Canucks practice, this represents another step towards him returning to the lineup.
It also fits the timeline shared by TSN’s Darren Dreger on Monday. In an interview with Sekeres and Price, Dreger said that Demko was expected to practice with his Canucks teammates at “some point this week.”
Demko hasn’t played since April 21, when a knee injury ended his playoff run after just one game. The rare injury, reportedly involving the popliteus muscle on the back of his knee, has kept Demko out for far longer than expected.
Kevin Lankinen has eased the urge to rush Demko back, given his red-hot start to the season. The 29-year-old Finnish netminder has a 5-0-2 record with a .919 save percentage and is expected to start for the Canucks again tonight against the Ducks.
Rick Tocchet made sure to say that he hasn’t given up on Arturs Silovs, but right now he’s riding the hot hand.
“How do you not play the kid? The guy’s on a roll,” Tocchet said of Lankinen.