It's been an interesting 2024-25 regular season so far for the Vancouver Canucks. From a 4-1 first period lead in the home opener, to going winless in the first three games, to winning their past three contests, it's been a bit of a roller-coaster ride for the fanbase.
Of course it's still extremely early, but at least the Canucks can say they're in a playoff spot following Tuesday's slate of games! For what little its worth, their eight points are the exact same number as what they had after six games last season.
One thing which will help the Canucks build on last season and display more consistency, is the return of some of their absent players. So let's take a look at the latest team injury news now, starting with someone who may or may not put you in a bad mood right off the bat:
Thatcher Demko
As per Frank Seravalli of the Daily Faceoff, Thatcher Demko was spotted on the ice on Tuesday in Chicago. Here is the short video Seravalli shared, so you can make you own judgements:
#Canucks Thatcher Demko grinding away after optional morning skate in Chicago. pic.twitter.com/weWHNQu8uM
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) October 22, 2024
Certainly, Demko didn't look like someone who will be returning anytime soon, although this is arguably an unfair comment to make based off of just a short 14 second video clip. Plus, last time I checked, I'm not a Doctor.
Having said that, the hint that last season's Vezina Trophy finalist won't be back soon, recently came from Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, highly respected and one of the very best hockey journalists in the business. As we wrote earlier this month, Friedman was not prepared to put a timeline on Demko's return, which spoke volumes.
As has been mentioned numerous times by various sports media outlets (including us), this is an extremely rare hockey injury, so there is a certain element of dealing with the unknown. Therefore, the Canucks are not going to rush and mishandle Demko's recovery -- they already did that once -- with it ultimately being up to him to determine when he's ready to come back.
Fortunately for the Canucks, Kevin Lankinen has being playing lights out so far between the pipes, so that takes some of the pressure off. At the same time however, a healthy Demko will undoubtedly boost the team's ambitions to challenge for the Stanley Cup come playoff time.
Dakota Joshua
Turning to Joshua, the update is more encouraging than his goalie teammate. While he was still wearing a no-contact jersey during Tuesday's morning skate, it seems that he'll be back to playing soon.
Again as per Seravalli, the latest update is that Joshua will return to action sometime in the next one-to-two weeks. This is of course excellent news for everyone connected to the Canucks.
As was revealed back in September, Joshua had been diagnosed with cancer after a lump was discovered on one of his testicles. Surgery to remove the tumour was successful but, as you'd expect, no particular timeline was given for when he would return to the team.
Aside from the physical recovery, there was also the psychological impact to consider in Joshua getting prepared to play again. As per Ben Kuzma of The Province, Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet said:
""He’s getting closer and ramping up his mental aspect and that’s the big key. A week ago, he was kind of in a rut but is getting over it. It’s getting close. I don’t think it (conditioning) has dropped off too much, and for a couple of weeks there was inactivity, but he’s matured and knows where and what he has to do.""
As much as the Canucks have turned things around after their winless start through three games, the return of Joshua would certainly provide a boost to the team. Last season saw him set several career highs, while his physical presence resulted in leading the team in hits and becoming a crucial part of the penalty kill unit.
Derek Forbort
It's a different situation with Forbort, in so much as his absence isn't injury-related. He is instead out for personal reasons, as announced by the Canucks last Thursday.
As we wrote at the time, the main concern was (is) for the well-being of Forbort and his family. However, as you'd expect in the world of social media, some people still complained about the lack of clarity by the Canucks, wondering how long he would be absent for.
Rick Dhaliwal of Donnie and Dhali - the Team did subsequently report that the personal issue didn’t sound long -term and Joshua could be back in a few days. Along these lines, the 28-year-old is listed as day-to-day, which does sound hopeful, although again we would stress the importance of making sure he and his family are all well before he does come back.