Canucks had a “choice to make” with Demko in Game 7: report

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We’ll never know how the Vancouver Canucks would have fared with a healthy Thatcher Demko in net during their 2024 Stanley Cup playoff run.

But it sounds like we sure were close to seeing the All-Star goalie return to the Canucks’ crease.

Demko was nearing a return before Vancouver was knocked out by the Edmonton Oilers in Game 7 on Monday. The 28-year-old was skating and taking shots from teammates but did not participate in a full practice.

Head coach Rick Tocchet was adamant that Demko wouldn’t play Game 7, saying so two days in advance.

But the decision to play Arturs Silovs over Demko may have been closer than it seemed, according to a report from CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal today. He said there was a choice to be made.

“I believe the Canucks had a choice to make with Demko for Game 7. Some feel he was ready to go, but he never got in a full practice,” Dhaliwal said on Donnie and Dhali.

If the Canucks had managed to knock off the Oilers, we could have seen Demko suit up for the Western Conference Final, which begins on Thursday.

“No question if the Canucks would have gone to Dallas for Game 1, he would have been ready. But boy oh boy, there was thinking going on when it came to Demko.”

Silovs was sensational in the first period last night, keeping the game scoreless despite the Canucks getting outshot 13-2. But as the Oilers kept pouring it on in the second period, the floodgates opened and Edmonton opened up a 3-0 lead.

The 23-year-old rookie wasn’t the problem, but he’s not Demko either. Silovs finished the playoffs with a 5-5 record in 10 starts, with a .898 save percentage.

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