The Vancouver Canucks are in the middle of a rebuild, but this one comes with some real building blocks. The young talent is there.
The forwards and defencemen have room to grow. What still hangs over everything is the same old goalie question: can the crease keep this team afloat while the rest of the roster develops?
That question starts with Thatcher Demko, and it’s impossible to avoid him. When he’s healthy, he’s shown he can play at a Vezina-calibre level, steal games, and carry Vancouver through stretches when they need it most.
The issue is availability. Demko opened only 23 games in 2024-25 and just 20 the season before that before hip surgery, which means the Canucks have gone a long time without a true full-season read on their No. 1 goalie.
His three-year extension, with an $8.5 million cap hit and a full no-movement clause, only raises the pressure. Vancouver can’t simply move on if this doesn’t work.
They need him on the ice and performing like the goalie they’re paying for.
The backup situation doesn’t exactly calm anyone down, either. Kevin Lankinen had a tough 2024-25, going 11-27-5 with an .876 save percentage in 43 starts.
Among goalies who played at least 1,000 minutes, that was one of the weaker marks in the league. To be fair, he was working behind a team that gave up the second-most high-danger chances in the NHL, so the support in front of him wasn’t making life easy.
Even so, Vancouver needs more from him this season.
There’s also Nikita Tolopilo, but he’s still more of a name for the future than a proven answer right now. He simply hasn’t played enough NHL games for anyone to know whether he can take on a bigger role.
The encouraging part for Vancouver is that this doesn’t have to be a goaltending circus. The Canucks don’t need Demko or Lankinen to run away with the Vezina.
They need stability. And a lot of that depends on the skaters in front of them doing a better job of protecting the middle of the ice and cutting down dangerous chances.
If the defence makes life easier, the goalies don’t have to bail the team out every night. For a young group still learning how to play together, that kind of help matters.
Better communication, smarter matchups, and more careful decisions about who’s on the ice and when could all make a difference. But the goalies still have to do their part.
Demko has to stay healthy. Lankinen has to show last season wasn’t the real version of him.
And whoever gets the starts needs to give Vancouver a chance to win without making every shot feel like a crisis.
That’s the real bar here: give the Canucks a chance. If they keep bleeding soft goals or go long stretches without a big save, it’s going to be hard to judge how much the young players are actually improving.
If Demko stays healthy, Lankinen rebounds, and the team in front of them tightens things up, then the picture in Vancouver starts to look a lot more interesting. Good goaltending won’t solve the rebuild by itself, but it could give this team the stability it needs while everything else takes shape.
In Other News...
Canadiens Trade Debate Just Got More Interesting Up Front
The Canucks rebuild has already put plenty of names into circulation, and Jake DeBrusk is now part of that conversation as Montreal continues to search for more finishing touch up front. DeBrusks recent play and contract situation have made him an easy player to connect to the Canadiens, especially with a roster that could use another proven winger who can slide into a top-six role and help drive offense.
For Vancouver, the appeal is obvious in a different way. If the front office is looking to reshape the roster around younger pieces and future flexibility, DeBrusk becomes the sort of player who can draw interest from a team trying to climb faster. The fit makes sense on paper, but for now it remains just that, with no trade or confirmation on the table. [Read more 🡒]
Canucks Are Finally Choosing A Direction Fans Have Been Begging For
After years of searching for the right mix, the Canucks have finally started leaning into a direction that looks built for more than a quick fix. Ryan Johnson stepping in as general manager and Manny Malhotra taking over behind the bench signals a clean shift in tone, with the organization now emphasizing a longer rebuild, future assets and a stronger push to develop younger talent like prospect Caleb Malhotra.
That approach also comes with the part fans usually ask for until it arrives: patience. Vancouver is prepared for some difficult decisions on veteran players and their roles in what comes next, including moving names such as Marcus Pettersson as part of the reset, and the team has acknowledged there may be losing seasons along the way before the plan starts paying off. [Read more 🡒]
Canucks Face A Rebuild Dilemma As Free Agency Stays Quiet
The Canucks have kept their summer activity fairly quiet, adding three NHL players along with some AHL depth while continuing to lean into a rebuild that emphasizes flexibility and future assets. For a team trying to balance immediate respectability with longer-term planning, the approach has been cautious rather than aggressive, and it leaves Vancouver with a roster picture that is still taking shape heading toward training camp.
Several pending unrestricted free agents remain in the mix, giving the Canucks another layer of decision-making as they weigh whether to keep stockpiling tradeable pieces or add more help before camp opens. The current depth chart suggests there is room to do more, but it is unclear how much more management wants to commit before the season begins, especially with the trade deadline looming as a possible pivot point for veteran movement. [Read more 🡒]