Vancouver Canucks insider shares unfortunate update on goalie Thatcher Demko

Rick Dhaliwal of "Donnie and Dhali" has given an update on when the Vancouver Canucks may see Thatcher Demko return between the pipes.

The Vancouver Canucks and their fans continue to wait for the highly anticipated return of star netminder Demko as he works his way back from two knee injuries suffered last season — one late in the regular season and the other in Game 1 of Round 1 against the Nashville Predators.

It's not really known as to what Demko's specific injury is, but Kevin Woodley of NHL.com shared some info on it back in September, saying that he's heard it has to do with his Popliteus, a triangle-shaped muscle behind the back of the knee that's attached to the femur and tibia.

Insider says don't expect Thatcher Demko's return to be at start of homestand

During Tuesday's edition of "Donnie and Dhali," Dhaliwal provided a bit of an update regarding Demko on how he's progressing and when Vancouver Canucks fans could see him return.

There was some thought that Demko could be able to return as soon as the latter stages of their current road trip, potentially even for Tuesday's game in Minnesota against the Wild, but that wasn't be the case.

Dhaliwal said on Tuesday that because the Canucks' schedule on the road was so compact and they didn't have many practices, Demko will still need a little bit of time before returning.

He did have some good news though, saying that fans should see Demko at some point during the homestand.

"The Canucks played four games in six nights, he got no practice time, he got no shots. He's not ready, he needs more practice' Dhaliwal said. "Somewhere on this home stand, you should see Thatcher Demko."

The Vancouver Canucks will return from their homestand on Friday night to take on the Columbus Blue Jackets, with puck drop for that matchup set for 7 p.m. PT.

During their homestand, the Canucks will face Tampa Bay (Dec. 8), St. Louis (Dec. 10), Florida (Dec. 12), Boston (Dec. 14) and Colorado (Dec. 16).

The good news however is that the Vancouver Canucks are very confident with Kevin Lankinen between the pipes, who looks to extend his NHL record to 11 road wins to start the season tonight in Minnesota.