With roughly a month to go before the 2025 NHL Draft and the start of free agency, trade rumor season is officially upon us. Leading those rumors, at least at the goalie position, is Vancouver Canucks goaltender Thatcher Demko.
Demko, 29, is a complicated case. After some time, he rebounded nicely from a popliteus injury that altered his career, but he also has one year remaining on a contract that carries a $5 million cap hit.
Add in the fact that the Canucks doled out a long-term contract extension to Kevin Lankinen just three months ago, and you begin to question what Demko's future looks like in Vancouver, if there is one at all.
Looking ahead to free agency, there are very few starting-caliber goalies hitting the market this year. Names like Jake Allen, Alex Lyon, and Anton Forsberg lead the way, but all are 32 years or older and only Allen has the experience of being a true No. 1 goalie at the NHL level.
If a team is desperate enough for reinforcements in net, perhaps they can force a Canucks trade with a strong enough offer.
#1: Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers had, by many metrics, the worst goaltending in the NHL this past season. Sam Ersson has yet to prove capable of handing the workload of a No. 1 goalie at the NHL level, and KHL imports Ivan Fedotov and Aleksei Kolosov have only shown flashes of potential and nothing more.
The Flyers, led by former Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet, aspire to become a winning club sooner rather than later. But they won't accomplish that without a significant upgrade between the pipes at some point.
Philadelphia has seven picks in the first two rounds of the 2025 NHL Draft and are uniquely positioned to add and extend Demko should the Canucks wish to part ways. The Flyers currently have $22 million in cap space and need only sign RFAs Cam York, Noah Cates, and Jakob Pelletier.
Ryan Ellis can always be placed on LTIR for additional cap relief this year, and, at the end of the 2025-26 season, the buyout and salary retention charges for Cam Atkinson, Kevin Hayes, and Scott Laughton will be off the Flyers' books.
Demko has already been tipped to reunite with his old Canucks coach in Tocchet, and there might not be a better fit for the goalie around the NHL right now.
#2: New Jersey Devils
Wait, this isn't Quinn Hughes?
Look, the New Jersey Devils need help anywhere they can get it. Their forward depth is absolutely abysmal and cost them in the Stanley Cup playoffs, and Allen is a pending free agent who could command more than the Devils can afford.
Yes, the Canucks could always retain salary on Demko, whose $5 million cap hit could be an obstacle for New Jersey. That'll help the Canucks get back better trade assets, which they can either use to rebuild or to add another player to help them win now.
With the Devils, Demko would reunite with his old Canucks goalie partner in Jacob Markstrom, who is not getting any younger and missed extensive time with a knee injury this year. If New Jersey does not want to hand youngster Nico Daws the backup goalie job, Demko should be reliable enough and will not be immediately pressed to play north of 40 games in a season unless there's an emergency.
I don't suspect the Canucks would want to trade Demko somewhere in the West where he can haunt them, so options are limited. Perhaps by adding a pick or prospect, the Canucks can add a future star like Seamus Casey to the fold. He's got the offensive exploits to mimic (not replace) Quinn Hughes should the Canucks captain bolt for New Jersey in 2027.
#3: Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens are a team, like the Flyers, looking to take the next step forward. They even made the playoffs, though they ultimately suffered an unceremonious first-round exit at the hands of the Washington Capitals.
Truthfully, Sam Montembeault, who played 62 games for the Habs this season, is not really a starting caliber NHL goalie. He'd be better served in a platoon; maybe on the Canucks with Lankinen?
The jury is still out on rookie Jakub Dobes, who had a nice first season in the NHL this year. Prospect Jacob Fowler will be threatening for a roster spot in no time, but that won't happen until it happens. You can't put the carriage before the horse in a rebuild.
The Canadiens have seven picks in the first three rounds of the 2025 NHL Draft and are capable of sending the Canucks a stopgap goalie in return for Demko, who would provide an immediate swell of talent at the position in Montreal.
A recovered Demko, especially if he can rekindle his 2023-24 form, would be the perfect long-term mentor for a guy like Fowler. In the East, the Canucks won't have to worry about being punished by their choice, though the media will have their say if it does backfire.