It has been a horrible season for the Vancouver Canucks in 2025-26, and the hits just keep coming. Brock Boeser and Zeev Buium have both been placed on IR, and now, they could be losing another player for the rest of the campaign.
Thatcher Demko could be shut down, based on the results of recent medical testing, according to TSN hockey insider Darren Dreger.
Demko was not having a great year, making 20 starts and going 8-10-1. He had a 2.90 goals-against average and a .897 save percentage. If he is shut down, this will be the fewest amount of games that Demko has played since 2019-20.
At one point, he was a stalwart in between the pipes for the Canucks. He played in 64 games, including 61 starts in 2021-22, having a 33-22-7 record with a 2.72 goals-against average and a .915 save percentage. The next season, injuries started to pop up. He missed 35 games in 2022-23 with a groin injury. The next year, he returned to make 51 starts, but an end-of-season knee ailment cost him time in the playoffs. He appeared in just one of the Canucks 13 playoff games.
Then in 2024-25, the netminder played in just 23 contests, missing time with a knee injury, a back injury, and a separate lower-body injury. Now, he has not seen the ice since January 10. He has dealt with a groin injury this year, plus the continual knee issue that has cost him time over the last two years.
The Canucks are expected to be selling at the trade deadline. If Demko is shut down for the season, he will not be an option to trade. Considering he is set to make $8.5 million in AAV in each of the next three seasons, and Kevin Lankinen is set to make $4.5 million in AAV through 2029-30, the Canucks may need to make a decision regarding the future of their goaltending position.
The Canucks are now 17-30-5 on the season, which places them with by far the worst record in the NHL. They will return to the ice, without Demko between the pipes, on Tuesday night against Macklin Celebrini and the visiting San Jose Sharks.
