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Thatcher Demko and Kevin Lankinen of the Vancouver Canucks (Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images)

Checking In on the Canucks’ Crease Chaos

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers | By The Old Prof | Last updated Dec 10, 2025 2:30 PM ET

Some seasons make you think more about the poor souls manning the crease than anyone else, and this is shaping up to be one of those for the Vancouver Canucks. The Canucks keep working, keep grinding, keep promising that this season is going to turn. To their credit, they don’t quit. That’s baked into the character of their group.

But they do lose, and way too often. Furthermore, they do it in ways that land squarely on the players wearing the masks. Even when the real story is happening twenty feet in front of them, the goalies are in the crosshairs.

Since I moved to British Columbia, I’ve spent many years watching the Canucks. There have been iterations of the team that have unravelled from the inside out, but that’s not what’s happening with this group. The team is trying. They’re not folding tents or giving up on each other.

But they’re also just not good enough in key moments, and when that happens, the goalies end up looking like they’re the whole problem. It’s never that simple. Not this season, anyway. Vancouver’s crease has seen a rotating cast. The could-be Vezina winner (Thatcher Demko) is working his way back, one veteran (Kevin Lankinen) is fighting himself, and one rookie (Nikita Tolopilo) is trying to pretend he isn’t overwhelmed.

So today, instead of a Canucks News & Rumours post, I thought it would be a good time to check in on all three — to see what they’ve given, what they haven’t gotten back from the team in front of them, and where each might fit as this season keeps grinding on.

Item One: If Thatcher Demko’s Ready, the Canucks Need to Be

This is the update everyone in Vancouver has been waiting for. Demko said he’s good to go for Thursday’s contest against the Buffalo Sabres. He hasn’t been officially activated off injured reserve (IR) yet, and the Canucks are still doing the “we’ll see” mumbling that coaches do. That said, if Demko says he’s ready, given how he thinks, he’s probably already mentally visualizing how his first start will unfold.

What interests me more is what this means for the team in front of him. Vancouver has been doing that careful shuffle in the crease, trying to hold things together while waiting for him to get healthy. They’ll still contend they might “ease him in.” But Demko’s the anchor, and when he’s ready to go, he’ll retake the bulk of the workload. That’s his way.

If there’s a worry here, it’s that coming off a lower-body injury can take time to return to form. But Demko is a monster of preparation, maybe the most stubbornly competitive player on the roster (or, is it a tie with Conor Garland?). The question now is whether the Canucks, who’ve been a bit wobbly without him, can settle down and play the kind of hockey that actually supports their franchise goalie. Demko’s ready. But, is the rest of the team?

Item Two: Kevin Lankinen Hits a Wall, and the Canucks Have a Decision

Monday’s contest against the Detroit Red Wings was one of those games that looked done before it started. Kevin Lankinen never looked settled. Three goals on 13 shots, all before the second intermission. When the Canucks had seen enough, Tolopilo replaced him for the third period. It was another tough loss in what’s become a stretch of tough ones. That’s six straight losses for Lankinen, and the numbers show it: 0-5-1, a 3.61 goals-against average (GAA), and an .845 save percentage over that span.

I like Lankinen. He’s been thrown into situations he didn’t expect, and the team hasn’t been airtight in front of him. Still, there are times when a goalie has to give his group a chance to reset. Lankinen hasn’t been able to do that. The bigger picture isn’t much kinder either: 4-10-3 on the season, a 3.49 GAA, and a .878 save percentage. Those are numbers you don’t post on your LinkedIn account.

Even if Demko returns on Thursday, the Canucks might still need Lankinen for 40–50 percent of the starts to keep their No. 1 goalie from burning out. That means he needs to find his confidence, timing, or whatever else is missing. The Canucks don’t need him to be Demko, but they need him to be the steady backup he used to be. Can he still be? That’s the big question.

Item Three: Nikita Tolopilo Didn’t Blink, Even When the Game Was Lost

Often, goalies who come in without rhythm, warning, or a chance to settle their nerves play pretty well. That was Tolopilo on Monday night. The Canucks were chasing shadows against Detroit, unable to get the puck past the Red Wings’ John Gibson. Still, Tolopilo stepped in for the third period, stopped all six shots he faced, and didn’t let the moment overwhelm him. The only goal in that period was an empty-netter.

Nikita Tolopilo, Vancouver Canucks (Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images)

Here’s what Tolopilo has shown Canucks’ fans so far. He doesn’t look rattled. Four games this season, 92 saves on 101 shots, sitting on a .911 save percentage while the team in front of him has been leaking chances. That’s something. For a young goalie trying to find his place in the organization, even the messy minutes matter. The game was over before he hit the ice, and he still showed up.

When Demko returns, Tolopilo will almost certainly head back to the American Hockey League’s (AHL) Abbotsford Canucks. His time with the big club wasn’t about stealing anyone’s job. It was about showing he can handle NHL pressure when he’s dropped into tough spots. In that small sample size, he did exactly what the Canucks needed. He was steady and calm, giving them no reason to worry about his development for the future.

After the Canucks were forced to trade Latvian goalie Artūrs Šilovs to the Pittsburgh Penguins before the season started, the organization’s developmental depth is far better than I expected at this point. That’s a big win.

The Bottom Line for the Canucks and Their Goalies

If there’s a thread tying all three stories together, it’s that none of the goalies is why the Canucks’ season has gone sideways. They’ve each done what they could with what’s in front of them — sometimes more, sometimes less — but always with an honest effort.

Demko’s battling to get back, Lankinen’s trying to keep the dam from breaking, and Tolopilo’s proving he belongs in any conversation about the future. The problem isn’t the men in the crease; it’s the weight they’re carrying. Vancouver may lose more than they’d like, but they don’t lie down. Not the skaters, not the goalies. Somewhere in that stubbornness, there’s still something worth building on.