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The Vancouver Canucks, who hold the second-best points percentage this season, announced on Wednesday, March 27 that the franchise has placed goaltender Thatcher Demko on Long Term Injury Reserve (LTIR) retroactively.
In a corresponding move, the franchise has recalled forward Arshdeep Bains from the Abbotsford Canuncks of the AHL. Bains has scored 14 goals and assisted 35 more in 53 games for Abbotsford this season.
Demko suffered a knee injury on March 9 in a game he started for the Canucks while facing the Winnipeg Jets. By placing Demko on LTIR retroactively to the original date of his injury, the Canucks are saving themselves a few games players placed on LTIR are forced to miss.
Demko left the game against Winnipeg in March and was replaced by Casey DeSmith. Then, Demko popped up in the Canucks’ injury report listed as “week-to-week” with a lower-body injury. Head coach Rick Tocchet told reporters about Demko’s status on Wednesday, March 13.
According to the NHL rulebook, players who are moved to the LTIR during the season must miss at least 10 games. The Canucks have already played six games since the matchup against the Jets, which means Demko only has to serve four more games before becoming eligible to return to the Canucks’ lineup.
Tocchet said two weeks ago that the franchise expected Demko to return in time for the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and that seems to be the case as the placement of the goalie on LTIR will only force him to miss the games between now and April 6 (not included) when the Canucks will visit Los Angeles to play the Kings on the road.
Thatcher Demko Was in the Run for the Vezina Trophy Award
Before getting injured, Demko was putting together one of the best seasons by a goaltender through February, putting him firmly in the race to win the Vezina Trophy award given to the best netminder of the regular season.
Demko has a 34-13-2 record in 49 games played this year. He’s posted a .917 save percentage and he’s allowing a meager 2.47 goals-against average. For context, that’s the 10th-most games played among netminders this season (remember, he’s missed the last six potential starts), the 7th-best SV%, and the 10th-best GAA.
Looking under the hood, Demko’s advanced statistics paint an even fancier picture of the Canucks goalie. According to MoneyPuck, Demko has 20.4 Goals Saved Above Expected, the second-most only trailing Vezina Trophy-favorite Connor Hellebuyck‘s 28.7 (in four more games played, however).
Demko was named to the All-Star Game back in 2022 and once again this season after getting drafted in the 2014 NHL draft with the 36th overall pick in the second round by the Canucks. So far, Demko has played 217 games with an average of 2.80 GAA and a .912 SV%.
Hall of Famer Netminder Martin Brodeur Sounds Off on Goaltenders’ Workload
Someone well-versed in goaltending is Hall of Farmer and former New Jersey Devils netminder Martin Brodeur.
Brodeur spoke to NHL Insider Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic in an interview published on March 27, right before the Canucks announced the placement of Demko on LTIR.
According to the world-renowned goalie, there has been a change in how NHL teams approach handling their goalies, moving from a one-man army to a rotational system in which at least two goalies can be considered 1A and 1B.
“It’s the system of 1A and 1B that’s going to create [unpredictability],” Brodeur told LeBrun. “Because it’s always going to be, ‘We can’t play back-to-back (games).’
“You’re so scared the No. 1 gets hurt. And so you baby that guy for the longest time. So these guys are playing 55 games. They should be playing 65 to 70 games like we did,” Brodeur thinks.
The Canucks have employed Demko along with DeSmith all throughout the season with the former appearing in 49 games and the latter in 25. DeSmith, even if playing a clear backup/reserve role, has posted a .897 SV% and a 2.73 GAA figure earning him an 11-6-6 record through games played on Tuesday, March 26.
“It’s a good reality now—you need to have two goalies,” the Hall of Famer finished.
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