Can this season for the Vancouver Canucks get any worse?
The Canucks will be without their starting goaltender for the rest of the season after announcing that Thatcher Demko will undergo hip surgery and will not return to game action.
Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin confirmed the decision on Tuesday, saying Demko has been shut down following consultations with team doctors and outside specialists.
“After consulting with our team doctors and outside specialists, Thatcher Demko will be shut down for the rest of the year,” Allvin said.
“Thatcher will undergo surgery next week for an injury unrelated to the one that kept him out of action last season. Following his rehab, he will be ready for the start of training camp in September.”
Demko last appeared in a game on January 10th against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The 28-year-old appeared in 20 games this season, posting an 8-10-0 record with a 2.90 goals-against average, a .897 save percentage, and one shutout.
The announcement adds to a growing list of concerns for the Canucks, who are enduring a difficult season. Demko has now played fewer than 25 games in back-to-back years, raising questions about his durability after he was limited to just 23 appearances during the 2024–25 campaign.
With Demko sidelined, Kevin Lankinen is expected to assume the bulk of the workload in net. Lankinen has an 8-10-1 record this season with a .897 save percentage and a 2.90 goals-against average.
He previously missed 12 games between November 11th and December 11th due to a separate injury and has appeared in 20 of the team’s 44 games so far.
Demko’s recent injury issues stand in contrast to his last fully healthy season in 2023–24, when he was named an NHL All-Star and finished second in league voting for the Vezina Trophy after recording a .918 save percentage and a 2.45 goals-against average across 51 games.
Despite the setbacks, the Canucks committed to Demko long term this past summer, signing the San Diego native to a three-year, $25.5-million extension that keeps him under contract through the 2028–29 season.
The team has not provided a detailed timeline beyond Allvin’s expectation that Demko will be ready for the start of training camp next September.
