Canucks’ Demko in concussion protocol, Ferland to see specialist

Vancouver Canucks head coach Travis Green announced today that Thatcher Demko has been placed in concussion protocol.

Thatcher Demko wasn’t on the ice this morning for the Canucks’ morning skate ahead of their tilt with the Carolina Hurricanes tonight. After practice, Travis Green revealed that goaltender Thatcher Demko sustained a head injury at yesterday’s practice, and as a result, is going through concussion protocol.

As a result, the Canucks have called up goaltender Michael DiPietro from the Utica Comets. DiPietro is 8-4-1 with a .910 save percentage and a 2.58 goals against average through 14 games with the Comets this season.

The last and only time DiPietro made a start for the Canucks was last season, when he was forced to start against a red-hot San Jose Sharks team — with a near-exhausted group of Canucks playing in front of him. The result was DiPietro allowing seven goals on 24 shots, and his first career loss.

Depending on how long Demko will be out, DiPietro could see some game time. The Canucks play a back to back on the road against the Sharks on Saturday and the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday. I would expect DiPietro to start one of these games, and he may even start another during the Canucks’ five game homestand.

In other news, forward Micheal Ferland is not in concussion protocol, but as per TSN1040’s Rick Dhaliwal, Ferland will see a specialist today to deal with the side effects of a possible concussion. Ferland left Tuesday night’s game agaisnt the Toronto Maple Leafs after appearing to be shaken up by a hit he threw on Toronto forward Alex Kerfoot.

Adam Gaudette also was absent for morning skate today. Brandon Sutter skated in between Antoine Roussel and Jake Virtanen in Gaudette’s spot on the third line. As reported by The Athletic’s Thomas Drance, Gaudette plans to play tonight when the Canucks take on the Carolina Hurricanes. Puck drop is at 7 PM from Rogers Arena.