The Vancouver Canucks are prepared to be patient as goalie Thatcher Demko works his way back from undergoing hip surgery in January.
Demko was limited 20 games last season after playing in just 23 games in 2024-25 and general manager Ryan Johnson said the team will not rush the 30-year-old netminder back on to the ice.
“I’ve said all along with Thatcher, we’ve never really been operating on timelines,” Johnson told Patrick Johnston of the Vancouver Province. “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.”
Johnston reports that Demko has been skating since late June and spent the summer in Vancouver, rehabbing under the watchful eye of the Canucks training staff.
It remains unclear whether the Canucks will look to keep an additional goaltender on their roster along with Kevin Lankinen in case Demko is not ready for opening night.
“We’re ready for anything,” Johnson said. “We still have some time here before camp opens. But I’ve got 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.”
Demko posted an 8-10-1 record last season with an .897 save percentage and 2.90 goals-against average, missing close to a month in the fall with a separate injury before being shut down in January.
In his last fully healthy season in 2023-24, Demko was an All-Star and was second in Vezina Trophy voting after finishing the year with a .918 save percentage and 2.45 GAA in 51 games.
The San Diego native remains signed through the 2028-29 season at a cap hit of $8.5 million, the second-largest salary on the team behind centre Elias Pettersson ($11.6 million).
The Canucks will open their preseason on Sept. 19 against the Seattle Kraken and start their regular season on Sept. 29 in Edmonton against the Oilers.
