Demko wants fresh slate for Canucks after Miller-Pettersson drama

The Vancouver Canucks are hoping to put the 2024-25 campaign behind them.

Vancouver entered last season with high expectations after winning the Pacific Division the year before with a 50-23-9 record. They then took the eventual Western Conference champion Edmonton Oilers to seven games in the second round.

But the team didn't live up to expectations to begin the season, going 18-12-8 before the new year and fighting for their playoff lives.

The lack of results caused friction in the room, which became a very public distraction when word got out about a rift between star forwards Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller.

Both players, who were signed long-term with the Canucks, were subject to trade rumours, and with other core pieces like goaltender Thatcher Demko and forwards Conor Garland and Brock Boeser scheduled to become unrestricted free agents within the next two seasons, it left a lot of uncertainty around the leadership in the locker room.

"Obviously, our locker room went through some stuff last year and the media took hold of it," Demko told TSN1050's OverDrive on Wednesday. "Everyone knows about the drama that went into the Pettersson and Miller stuff and that affected our room in a negative way. There was some uncertainty of what was going to happen with our locker room, and it put guys in tough positions when there isn't a ton of security in the room."

In the end, the Canucks dealt Miller, along with defencemen Jackson Dorrington and Erik Brannstrom, to the New York Rangers on Jan. 31 in exchange for forward Filip Chytil, defenceman Victor Mancini, and a draft pick, but the damage for the 2024-25 season had already been done.

The Canucks finished fifth in the Pacific Division with a 38-30-14 record, six points behind the St. Louis Blues for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

Despite missing the playoffs, Demko believes that they aren't far off from the Stanley Cup contender that they thought they were after the 2023-24 campaign. Demko says the leadership structure had a meeting after the year to discuss the future and how they can solidify the locker room.

This helped lead to Boeser re-signing with the team on July 1 to a seven-year deal after becoming an unrestricted free agent, while Demko and Garland both signed extensions to avoid free agency next off-season.

"Having those guys come back, it tells the media and the league that things aren't as bad as they seemed last year for us," said Demko. "We're two years out form winning our division and last year we were just a handful of points shy of the last playoff spot. So having the guys get back together and stick round proves that we're excited to run it back and prove to the outside world that it really wasn't as bad as it seemed in Vancouver."

Demko is hoping the 2025-26 season will provide a blank slate, not only for the team, but for himself.

The 6-foot-4 netminder is coming off a season mired with injuries that saw him appear in just 23 games. Demko missed the first two months of the season while dealing with a lower-body injury he sustained during the 2023-24 playoffs. He missed another 15 games during the season to deal with a second lower-body injury.

He went 10-8-3 last season with a 2.90 goals-against average and .889 save percentage.

Before the injury, Demko finished second in Vezina Trophy voting after going 35-14-2 during the 2023-24 campaign with a 2.45 GAA and .918 save percentage.

Demko signed a three-year, $25.5 million deal to stay in Vancouver, but he would have liked to ensure he could stay a Canuck for life.

"I would sign 20 years in Vancouver if I could," Demko said. "I always wanted to stay in Vancouver my whole career. I'm a guy, who I think is a bit of a dying breed, who wants to see it through no matter what with the team I was drafted by. I would have signed for a longer time, but I know the team is in a position with a bit of uncertainty with my health from last year.

"However, we felt confident that I was going to get back into the position that I was in two years ago. At the end of the day, If I get to sign for three and I have to sign another one, so be it. My priority is getting something done and getting more years in Vancouver."

The injuries he sustained have caused Demko to make changes with his off-season routine, which he hopes will bring him back to a level he feels good about.

The 29-year-old hired a new trainer that he describes as a biomechanic specialist for goaltending, who has given him a new perspective of how some of the exercises he does off the ice can help him on the ice.

He also hopes that having a normal off-season will help him prepare for next season better than last year, where he went through a lot of extra rehab while dealing with his lower-body injuries.

"The injury stuff for me really started to take effect maybe 12 or 13 months ago. Before that, I had a Vezina-calibre season and I don't feel like I'm that far off from doing it again," said Demko. "I feel really good coming out of last year healthy and having a more normal summer without having to deal with all the rehab I had last summer is great for my body and mind. Things are going in a great direction and I feel good, happy, and I'm excited to be back in Vancouver next year."