Canucks goaltender Thatcher Demko out for the season

The Vancouver Canucks have been without starting netminder Thatcher Demko since Jan. 10, and that absence will extend to the rest of the season. Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin announced that Demko will undergo hip surgery and is done for the 2025-26 campaign.

Speculation regarding his availability for the remainder of the season came from Vancouver’s head coach, Adam Foote, who admitted that Demko’s season may be over. The nine-year veteran has been dealing with chronic knee issues for the last few years and was out with a groin ailment earlier this season.

At the time, Foote only acknowledged that Demko was dealing with a lower-body injury. Additionally, it's not a bad year for Demko to take off to regain his health. Vancouver is in the league’s basement with a 17-30-5 record and has no realistic pathway back to contention, even with Demko between the pipes.

Still, there should be significant concern from the Canucks. With missing the rest of the season, he will have made only 43 starts in the last two seasons. For comparison, Demko made 51 starts during the 2023-24 season alone.

Despite the injuries, Vancouver signed Demko to a three-year, $25.5M ($8.5M AAV) extension that begins next season. Considering that they’re already paying Kevin Lankinen $4.5M through the 2029-30 campaign, that’s a relatively high price to pay for a goalie tandem on a non-competitive team.