Vancouver Canucks goaltender Thatcher Demko is considered week-to-week with a lower-body injury, a team spokesperson said Tuesday.
Demko will not join the Canucks on their five-game road trip coming out of the 4 Nations Face-Off break. The team will reevaluate him after returning from the trip, which concludes March 1 at Seattle.
Demko, last season’s runner-up for the Vezina Trophy honoring the NHL’s best goaltender, did not make his season debut until Dec. 10 because of a knee issue that surfaced during the 2024 playoffs.
According to The Athletic, Demko’s current issue is not in that knee. He played only 32 games the year before that due to a groin injury.
The one-time All-Star is 6-6-3 with a 2.87 goals-against average and .891 save percentage in 17 games (all starts) this season.
Demko, 29, was selected by Vancouver in the second round of the 2014 draft and has played 236 career games, making 230 starts. He is 122-87-20 with a 2.80 GAA and .911 save percentage for his career.
As Demko’s availability has fluctuated, Kevin Lankinen has made the most of his opportunities in net. He is 19-8-7 with a 2.53 GAA and .905 save percentage in 34 games (32 starts). Vancouver will lean on him and third-stringer Arturs Silovs for its five-game road trip, which begins Saturday at Vegas.
The Canucks recalled Silovs from AHL affiliate Abbotsford on an emergency basis and also added a practice goaltender, Nikita Tolopilo, on Tuesday.
Field Level Media contributed to this report.