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It's no secret that the Philadelphia Flyers need to upgrade their goaltending room if they hope to return to legitimate playoff contention. Philly was dead last with a ghastly .879 save percentage in 2024-25; neither Samuel Ersson or Ivan Fedotov proved to be the answer for one of the league's worst teams.
But as Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli reported on Monday, the Flyers are looking to upgrade in goal ahead of the 2025-26 campaign after acquiring Trevor Zegras from the Anaheim Ducks — and Vancouver Canucks netminder Thatcher Demko could be a fit.
“The Canucks have an interesting dilemma on their hands. They have a talented goaltender who is one of the faces of their franchise dealing with a significant injury,” wrote the hockey insider. “He battled through it and put up respectable numbers, and looked great on some nights. But the Canucks also re-signed Kevin Lankinen to a five-year extension. And Demko’s deal is up after one more. Will they try to move him? Or do they like the tandem?”
Seravalli reported that the Flyers make sense as a potential landing spot for the veteran, especially as former Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet is now leading the charge in the City of Brotherly Love.
“Demko seemed awfully loyal to coach Rick Tocchet,” wrote Seravalli. “Wondering if a reunion in Philadelphia is possible. Arturs Silovs has been lights out during Abbotsford’s Calder Cup run, which might make backing up Lankinen a logical step.”
Canucks have a goaltending conundrum
Right now, the Canucks have three legitimate goaltenders who could all make a case for NHL starts in 2025-26. Kevin Lankinen was signed to a five-year, $22.5 million contract extension back in February, which includes a full no-movement clause in the first two years of the deal.
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Meanwhile, Silovs was just named MVP of the Calder Cup playoffs as the Abbotsford Canucks won their first-ever AHL championship on Monday. He will certainly be pushing for a roster spot next season, and that could lead to Demko being expendable.
The Fourth Period's David Pagnotta reported late Monday night that the Canucks are gauging the market for Demko.
“If the Canucks go the trade route, one piece that has started to generate interest from other clubs is goaltender Thatcher Demko, who is entering the final year of his contract,” wrote Pagnotta. “Demko, 29, has battled injuries of late, but he is back to full health and has already started training for next season.
“Various reports have suggested teams like the Philadelphia Flyers, San Jose Sharks, Edmonton Oilers and Detroit Red Wings are in the market for an upgrade in net, but it is unclear if any of these four specific clubs have spoken with the Canucks about Demko.”
With one year remaining on a contract that will pay Demko $5 million in 2025-26, it's very possible that Vancouver turns to Lankinen and Silovs, and moves on from the American goaltender in exchange for additional help up front. Demko recorded a 10-8-3 record in 23 games in 2024-25, managing a 2.90 goals-against-average and a .889 save percentage in that span.
It'll be interesting to see if the Canucks trade the former Vezina Trophy finalist this summer, and whether he will indeed be headed to Pennsylvania to reunite with Tocchet.
