Pittsburgh Hockey Insider has no direct affiliation to the Pittsburgh Penguins, NHL or NHLPA
Major Doubts Surface About Thatcher Demko's Future with the Canucks
There is major doubt surfacing about the long-term future of goaltender Thatcher Demko with the Vancouver Canucks, per a newly released prediction from NHL analyst Craig Button.
The Vancouver Canucks have not gotten their money's worth from goaltender Thatcher Demko over the last year, as he was largely unavailable because of an injury.
The injury kept him out of all but a single one of Vancouver's postseason games last spring and for the 1st several months of this season. In the meantime, the Canucks signed Kevin Lankinen and eventually gave him a multi-year extension when he performed better than expected.
Demko, who played in only 23 games this year, has only a year left on his current contract with an AAV (average annual value) of $5 million.
While making an appearance on "The Donni and Dhali" podcast, NHL analyst Craig Button expressed extreme doubt on a long-term future of Demko with the Canucks while also noting the emergence of Lankinen along with prospect Arturs Silovs.
To me, it's really about his state of health. He's got one year left on his contract, and when you look at what Silovs did, he was someone the Canucks thought could come in at the start of the year, and he really struggled. But for him to go down to the AHL, rediscover his game, and become such an instrumental part of a championship team in Abbotsford, that's hugely significant. Just because you stumble for a few months doesn't mean you're going to stumble for years, and I think Silovs has built a pretty solid record of success.
Silovs recently led Vancouver's AHL affiliate Abbotsford Canucks to the Calder Cup championship, and wants to take the next step in his NHL career after getting valuable postseason experience in 2024 after the injury to Demko.
Demko went 10-8-3 with a 2.90 GAA, a .889 SV% and 1 shutout this year.
| POLL | ||
JUIN 24 | 114 ANSWERS Major Doubts Surface About Thatcher Demko's Future with the Canucks Will Thatcher Demko remain with the Canucks long term? | ||
| Yes | 30 | 26.3 % |
| No | 84 | 73.7 % |
| List of polls | ||