The Vancouver Canucks could be circling back on a free agent who was previously thought to be heading to the open market.
The team is reportedly exploring the idea of re-signing veteran goalie Casey DeSmith per CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal.
“There seems to be a change in philosophy on the goaltending situation for the Canucks both in Vancouver and Abbotsford… it seems like they are in the market for a veteran NHL goaltender,” said Dhaliwal.
“I will not be surprised if the Canucks reconnect with Casey DeSmith’s agent at the NHL draft in Vegas. They haven’t talked to him in a long time, but again, philosophy has changed.”
The report of the team considering re-signing DeSmith was then confirmed by Postmedia’s Patrick Johnston.
Can confirm @DhaliwalSports report just now that Canucks are now considering bring Casey DeSmith back
— Patrick Johnston (@risingaction) June 27, 2024
Signing DeSmith would mean that breakout star Arturs Silovs, who was previously thought to have the backup role for next season locked in, would start in the AHL as he did last year. The Latvian is a restricted free agent and needs a new contract before next season.
DeSmith was the team’s backup goalie for much of last season but was pushed into the starter’s role when Thatcher Demko got hurt. DeSmith finished the regular season with a record of 12-9-6, a 2.89 goals-against-average, and a .896% save percentage.
The 32-year-old then earned two playoff starts before an injury forced him to miss a game, giving Silovs the chance to play. Silovs never gave the net back, and DeSmith didn’t appear in any more postseason games.
Silovs’ emergence led many to think that DeSmith and the Canucks would be parting ways this offseason. The young goalie was excellent during the playoffs and looks to be more than ready for a backup role at the NHL level next season. However, this news suggests the Canucks could be interested in running it back with Silovs as the AHL starter to begin the year.
Demko, who is a finalist for the Vezina Trophy, has suffered serious injuries in each of the past two seasons. Adding another goalie with NHL experience could be the Canucks idea of insurance against another ailment for their superstar starter.
“I’m not sure if it’s that the Canucks are worried about Demko’s rehab or not… but it seems like they are in the market for a veteran,” continued Dhaliwal today.
In addition, AHL goalie Zach Sawchenko will test free agency leaving the Canucks down another professional goalie per CHEK’s Dhaliwal. This means that there is space on the depth chart for another netminder.
Other reports today suggest that the Canucks always wanted to start Silovs in the AHL. The plan was to find a veteran backup per Irfaan Gaffar, so the possibility of bringing back someone like DeSmith makes sense.
The team has made a flurry of moves over the past 24 hours, including re-signing forwards Teddy Blueger and Dakota Joshua, as well as trading away Ilya Mikheyev and the rights to Sam Lafferty.