Thatcher Demko is back on the shelf after suffering a lower-body injury Tuesday against the Winnipeg Jets. The Vancouver Canucks’ oft-injured starting goaltender, who just returned from a week-long break for maintenance reasons, will miss at least the next two weeks. (The team travelled to Carolina on Wednesday to start a three-game road trip, so an official update is expected Thursday.)
Unfortunately for the Canucks, this has become the new normal. As The Athletic noted Wednesday, “Demko has been injured five separate times in his last 37 appearances” dating back to the end of the 2023-24 regular season.
“If you look at the league, anyone (who’s) won (or) gone deep in the playoffs (has had) a good goalie,” Canucks head coach Adam Foote told reporters Tuesday. “It’s like football. You need the quarterback. We have a good goalie tandem. It is what it is. Guys are going to miss games. Guys are going to get injured.”
Outside of captain Quinn Hughes, Demko is the one player the Canucks can least afford to lose. Demko has covered up for Vancouver’s many defensive lapses, saving 10.9 goals above expected. That places him sixth in the NHL in that category. He has recorded eight quality starts in 10 tries, meaning he has allowed more goals than expected just twice this season.
The 8-9-1 Canucks can’t withstand a long rough patch. Their defensive play has cratered in Foote’s first season as head coach. Vancouver’s 3.61 expected goals against per game are second-worst in the league after finishing 15th last season (3.07 per game).
Opponents have feasted on the Canucks’ porous coverage directly in front of the net, scoring 33 goals from the inner slot. Only the St. Louis Blues (34) and Nashville Predators (36) have allowed more inner-slot goals than the Canucks this season.
Under Foote, the Canucks’ opponents are averaging 46 seconds more of offensive-zone possession time per game than they did last season, when Rick Tocchet coached the Canucks. Relatedly, Vancouver’s cycle scoring chances against year-over-year are up from 9.4 to 12.2 per game.
The Canucks’ defensive issues wouldn't be as damaging if their offence were clicking, which it isn’t. They are 28th in expected goals per game and led in scoring by 30-year-old forward Kiefer Sherwood, whose 11 goals in 18 games are more than halfway to his career high of 19 from last season. Sherwood has scored 7.2 goals above expected, which unsurprisingly leads the league.
Hughes, who recently missed four games due to a lower-body injury, continues to drive possession at an elite rate, but the Canucks are not dominating his minutes the way they have in previous years. Vancouver is being outscored 15-12 and out-chanced 120-108 at five-on-five when Hughes is on the ice. Last season, the Canucks had a plus-8 goal differential and plus-92 scoring-chance differential during his five-on-five minutes.
Demko’s latest injury means Vancouver will now turn to backup Kevin Lankinen, who made a career-high 49 starts last season in Demko’s absence. Lankinen played slightly better than expected in 2024-25 based on the shot quality he faced, recording a 0.11 GSAE per 60 minutes (5.76 total GSAE).
In nine appearances (eight starts) this season, Lankinen has posted a 0.06 GSAE per 60 (0.54 total). Though, to be fair, Lankinen has dealt with harsher conditions. He has faced 26.2 scoring chances per 60 this season — up from 20.9 per 60 last season.
“That’s what we do,” Lankinen told reporters when asked about filling in for Demko. “That’s part of the job. You’ve got to be ready at all times. … We’re all human beings. I don’t think anybody understands a goalie as well as another goalie. I haven’t had a chance to talk to him, so I’m not quite sure what’s going on, but I hope for the best.”
The Canucks committed to Demko over the summer despite his concerning injury history, signing him to a three-year, $8.5 million-per-year contract. The fact that Demko has already been out of the lineup more than once this season should raise alarm bells.
