At today’s morning skate, Vancouver Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet confirmed that goaltender Thatcher Demko will be returning to action as a backup for tonight’s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets. This will be Demko’s first time suiting up for an NHL game since he was sidelined with an injury back in the first round of the 2024 Playoffs against the Nashville Predators. Since his injury, the Canucks have tried several different options in net and found a useful one in the offseason by signing Kevin Lankinen. Lankinen has been exactly what the Canucks have needed in the absence of their starting goalie and has a 12-3-3 record and a spot on Finland’s roster for the 4 Nations Face-Off. With Demko finally returning, this will bring stability to the Canucks crease and the two goalies could be one of the best tandems in the league.
Demko’s Return Is What the Canucks Need
Demko’s play in the net is exactly what the Canucks need to climb back up in the standings. The American netminder has been the Canucks’ staple in the crease for almost the past five seasons and was a big reason for their success last regular season. He helped lead the Canucks to a first-place finish in their division and had he not gotten hurt in the first round, maybe the team could have beaten the Edmonton Oilers and gone farther than the second round. He now returns to Vancouver’s lineup with the Canucks in a comfortable position as the third-place team in the Pacific Division and with his goaltending partner Lankinen stealing games for the Canucks.
With Demko now returning, the Canucks have a great opportunity to have one of the top goaltending tandems in the NHL. The team’s plan will most likely be to send Arturs Silovs down to the American Hockey League (AHL) so he can play some games with the Abbotsford Canucks and Vancouver will run with Demko and Lankinen as their two goalies. If they play up to their potential, both are starting-calibre goaltenders in the NHL. Lankinen has proven this season that he is far and away the Canucks best goalie when Demko is hurt and Demko has been Vancouver’s starting goalie for the past several years. This tandem could be what pushes the Canucks back into the conversation of Stanley Cup contenders as these two goalies will help them win games and will give them saves that perhaps they were not getting when Demo was out.
Perfect Timing
This news couldn’t have come at a better time for the Canucks. The team has been treading water for most of the season and hasn’t been able to string together a solid win streak since winning four games in a row back in October. The club hasn’t met that same success since the season started and some of that has been due to their goaltending situation as Silovs has not played as he did during the playoffs last season. With Demko arriving now, the Canucks are primed to start rattling off some wins in consecutive order and get back to being one of the top teams in the Western Conference.
The best teams in the modern NHL are the ones that have two goalies who could be starters or at least two that you feel comfortable playing in front of. The best example of this was when the Boston Bruins had Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark as their tandem for the past two seasons. In 2022-23, they both helped the Bruins set the record for most wins in a single season and both goalies were a big reason for it as the players in front of them knew that the person between their goalposts could give them a chance to win. If Lankinen and Demko can be close to as good as those two were, the Canucks are going to shoot up the standings and be a much better team than they have shown so far this season.
Demko’s return will be a boost to the Canucks as he is a veteran on the team but it will also help them win more games. If he can work well with Lankinen and become a good tandem with him, Vancouver is primed for another run at the Stanley Cup.
