Thatcher Demko’s road back to the Vancouver Canucks’ crease is still the storyline hanging over training camp.
After a season that ended early in January because of hip tightness that eventually required surgery, the No. 1 goalie is once again the subject of the same uneasy question: will he be ready when camp opens next month in Penticton? Given the way the last four seasons have unfolded, it’s a fair one. Demko has dealt with a string of serious setbacks, including a popliteus muscle injury in his left knee that delayed the start of his 2024-25 season, the groin injury that cost him two months in 2022-23, and the knee issue that followed his 2023-24 run as a Vezina Trophy finalist.
That run of injuries has left Demko trying to avoid a fifth straight season interrupted by something major. He spent the entire summer in Vancouver working with the specialists he knows there and with the Canucks’ training staff, and he has been skating since late June as he gradually builds back toward game shape.
Canucks GM Ryan Johnson said earlier this week that the organization isn’t locking itself into any one date.
“I’ve said all along with Thatcher, we’ve never really been operating on timelines,” Johnson began. “When you come this far with something, why not make sure you take the last final steps? He’s had a great summer physically and mentally.”
Johnson also made it clear the club is planning for different outcomes as camp approaches.
“We’re ready for anything,” he said. “We still have some time here before camp opens. But I’ve golt to make sure, as an organization, we’re covered and prepared for whatever timeline’s needed to allow him to not just get back, but make sure it’s sustainable.”
That leaves open the possibility of Vancouver beginning the season with three goalies. Nikita Tolopilo did not have a strong year last season, but he would need waivers to be sent to the minors, which gives the Canucks another layer to think about. Even if the chance of him getting claimed is uncertain, there’s a path for him to stay on the roster with a healthy Demko.
The broader league trend points the same way. Teams around the NHL have increasingly carried three goalies, and that could shape the Canucks’ options if they’re trying to sort out the crease in the early going. Johnson may be keeping an eye on goaltenders elsewhere, but the waiver wire may not offer much help if clubs are already hanging on to their own.
For now, the Demko question remains exactly where it was: unresolved and impossible to ignore.
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