Vancouver Canucks goaltender Thatcher Demko is considered week-to-week with a lower-body injury, a team spokesperson said Tuesday.
Demko will not join the Canucks on their five-game road trip out of the 4 Nations Face-Off break. The team will re-evaluate him after returning from the trip, which concludes March 1 at the rival Seattle Kraken.
Demko, last season’s runner-up for the Vezina Trophy honoring the NHL’s best goaltender, did not make his season debut till Dec. 10 because of a knee issue that surfaced during the 2023-24 playoffs. Per The Athletic, Demko’s current issue is not in that knee. He only played 32 games the year before that due to a groin injury.
The one-time All-Star was 6-6-3 with a 2.87 goals-against average and an .891 save percentage in 17 games (all starts) this season.
Demko, 29, was drafted by Vancouver in the second round of the 2014 draft and has played 236 career games (230 starts) for the club. He is 122-87-20 with a 2.80 GAA and a .911 for his career.
As Demko’s availability has fluctuated, Kevin Lankinen has made the most of his opportunities in net. He is 19-8-7 with a 2.53 GAA and a .905 save percentage in 34 games (32 starts) this year. Vancouver will lean on him and third-stringer Arturs Silovs for its five-game road trip, which begins this Saturday at Vegas.
The Canucks recalled Silovs from AHL affiliate Abbotsford on an emergency basis and also added a practice goaltender, Nikita Tolopilo, on Tuesday.
–Field Level Media
