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The Vancouver Canucks are hopeful they’ll get star goalie Thatcher Demko back from injury during the second round.
“You always hope,” said head coach Rick Tocchet yesterday when asked if Demko would be available before the team’s upcoming series against the Edmonton Oilers is over. “Things change day-to-day, there has been improvement, but to what extent.”
“Injuries, from my experience it’s a slow process and then all of a sudden two, three days later ‘oh man, I really feel good.’ I don’t know where that’s at, in that sense.”
“It has improved but to what percentage, I don’t know.”
The knee injury was sustained in Game 1 of the first round on April 21. Game 6 of the Canucks-Oilers series is scheduled for May 18, which would mean roughly a month of recovery.
The original diagnosis communicated by Tocchet was “week-to-week.” Nothing has changed in the messaging from the club since.
Demko was named a finalist for the Vezina Trophy awarded to the league’s best goaltender. He finished the regular season tied for sixth in wins and fifth in shutouts despite missing an extended stretch with a separate knee injury.
WHAT A SAVE BY THATCHER DEMKO 😱 pic.twitter.com/TuhCGy0XFh
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) November 16, 2023
The Canucks have been getting solid goaltending from their backups during Demko’s absence. Arturs Silovs, 23, has a 1.70 goals-against-average and a .938% save percentage in three starts, including a shutout in the team’s Game 6 win over the Nashville Predators.
The Oilers have one of the most high-powered offensive attacks in the league and having a solid final line of defence is paramount. Even with Demko out of the lineup, the All-Star is travelling with the team and helping to support the team’s healthy goalies.
While Silovs has been great, the Canucks would undoubtedly prefer to have their franchise goalie back between the pipes. The update from Tocchet, as well as previous reporting, seems to suggest that while unlikely, it isn’t inconceivable Demko returns near the end of this round.