The Vancouver Canucks may continue to be without star goaltender Thatcher Demko. Vancouver lost their starter between the pipes way back in January due to hip surgery. At the time, former Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin claimed that the netminder would be ready for training camp in September. This, however, may not be true.
Matt Sekeres of the Sekeres & Price podcast is claiming that there is a “likely scenario” in which Demko will not be healthy enough to start the 2026-27 season. While this would certainly be a big blow for the Canucks, the podcaster has found three specific silver linings to the situation. For starters, Vancouver is unlikely to be a playoff team in 2027 and could be better off in the long run by tanking this season. The Canucks are undoubtedly a better team with Demko in the crease.
On top of this, the Vancouver Canucks can get a real look at 26-year-old Nikita Tolopilo between the pipes. Assuming Demko starts the campaign on injured reserve, the club does not have to put Tolopilo on waivers. “Is this an NHL goalie? Do we have that answer yet? I don’t think we have that answer yet,” claims Sekeres.
Finally, a sidelined Demko would give Kevin Lankinen a chance to add some trade value. The veteran netminder had a subpar 2025-26 campaign filling in for the starter. In fact, Lankinen posted a 3.70 GAA and .875 save rate last season. Nevertheless, he showed that he could be a quality NHL goalie in his previous three seasons in the league.
Vancouver Canucks Gave Thatcher Demko $25 Million Deal Despite Injury History
GettyThe Vancouver Canucks need a healthy Thatcher Demko to be successful.
Interestingly enough, the Vancouver Canucks rewarded Demko with a three-year, $25.5 million ($8.5 million AAV) contract just last summer. Although the two sides agreed to the deal in 2025, the contract officially starts this season. As a result, the American will not become an unrestricted free agent until 2029. He also has a full no-move clause for all three years.
As Sekeres alluded to, Demko has proven to be an elite netminder when on the ice. The veteran has a career 2.81 GAA and .909 save rate during his time in the NHL. Nevertheless, a series of injuries have marred the goalie’s time with the Vancouver Canucks. He has managed to play over 35 regular-season games just twice in the last seven years.
Vancouver Star Hopeful Injuries are in the Past
Despite this, Demko is confident the surgery will fix his ongoing issues. During his year-end interview in April, the netminder claimed that he was playing with “zero degree of internal rotation in the hip” over the last two years. The issue essentially created a domino effect with other body parts, including his back and knees. However, the Vancouver Canucks star claimed that he was already noticing a significant difference in his “movement and mobility.”
Still, the Vancouver Canucks will not want to rush Demko back to action too soon. Even if this were a Stanley Cup contender, there is no point in potentially risking the star so early in the campaign. As a result, Lankinen will hope to bounce back in a big way this fall in a more prominent role. The Canucks will also hope this is the case. After all, the goalie still has four years remaining on his $4.5 million AAV contract.
Canucks $25 million Star Faces Possible Injury Setback