Insider reveals when Canucks Thatcher Demko returns

The Vancouver Canucks have been patiently waiting for Thatcher Demko to return in 2024-2025 – and they may not be without their star netminder for much longer. Demko could be back in the lineup later in November, Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reported Friday.

“There is growing hope that Thatcher Demko will be back for the Vancouver Canucks before the end of November. That is a big step forward,” said the hockey insider. “You saw him join the boys yesterday for the optional morning skate in Los Angeles. The goal now is to stack two weeks of solid training on top of each other. Demko is feeling pretty good. He feels confident, like he has turned the corner.”

Demko was back on the ice, taking shots off his Canucks teammates during the morning skate ahead of a 4-2 win over the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday. Although he has not yet participated in full training, that is the next step in the American’s recovery, according to TSN’s Darren Dreger.

“He’s been doing his goalie training, he’s been skating and making shots, but he hasn’t practiced with the full group,” he said. “The hope is that Thatcher returns to full team training this week. Then you start watching a countdown. Are we talking about several days now?”

“Are we still talking in the week-to-week category? One thing we know here is that it’s pretty clear the Vancouver Canucks aren’t going to push Thatcher Demko. They don’t really feel like they need that. He’s been doing his “you know what” work in the background to make sure the problem he has doesn’t develop into a bigger problem later.

Demko’s impending return to the lineup is huge for this club, but Vancouver is getting some excellent goaltending from Kevin Lankinen in the meantime.

Kevin Lankinen has performed excellently in Thatcher Demko’s absence

After last year’s heroic playoff performance, Arturs Silovs has struggled over three starts in 2024-25; he has an atrocious .797 save percentage and a 5.00 goals-against average.

But Lankinen has proven to be a smart addition to general manager Patrik Allvin. The Finnish netminder has led the Canucks to a 7-0-2 record in his nine starts, with a stellar .923 save percentage and a 2.08 goals-against average.

The 29-year-old has done his job and more between the pipes, and he’s a big reason why Vancouver is 7-2-3 and in third place in the Pacific Division. Still, Demko was a Vezina Trophy finalist last season, and his return will be a huge boost to a strong Canucks roster. If all goes well, it looks like that return could be a matter of weeks.

It’s been a tough road since Demko suffered a mysterious knee injury in the first game of the first round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, but it appears the long road to recovery is finally coming to an end – much to the delight of Canucks fans .

Vancouver will look to win its fourth straight game when the Edmonton Oilers visit Rogers Arena on Saturday night. It’s the first of a six-game homestand for the surging Canucks.