According to a report, Vancouver Canucks goalie Kevin Lankinen is playing through an injury as he continues to struggle in the net.
Lankinen, 29, is dealing with a "hip issue" according to Canucks insider Rick Dhaliwal, who posted this to his X account on Friday night.
This news does not come as a complete surprise, as Lankinen has allowed 14 goals in his last three games, including a disastrous performance against the New York Rangers that saw the Finn concede four goals on just 11 shots in a 5-3 loss.
Hip issue
— Rick Dhaliwal (@DhaliwalSports) March 29, 2025
Lankinen was said to be dealing with the flu after the aforementioned loss, and while he did miss two games, his continued struggles are, apparently, not related to that.
Overall, Lankinen has stopped just 64 of the last 78 shots that he has faced, which comes out to a .821 save percentage across those three games.
According to MoneyPuck, Lankinen has allowed 5.8 goals more than expected in his last 10 games, which ranks 61st out of 72 goalies who have played at least 10 games this season.
As a result, the former undrafted goalie has dropped all the way down to a .899 save percentage this season, which is now approaching the lowest mark of his career.
In his second NHL season in 2021-22, Lankinen was 8-15-6 in 29 starts for the Chicago Blackhawks, posting a 3.50 GAA and a .891 save percentage.
As Dan Riccio of Sportsnet noted on his X account, Lankinen has a .880 save percentage overall since signing the lucrative five-year, $22.5 million contract extension that ties him down in Vancouver until 2030, his age 35 season.
Kevin Lankinen has an .880sv% since signing his long term extension with the Canucks
— Dan Riccio (@danriccio_) March 29, 2025
With Canucks goalie partner Thatcher Demko seemingly back, or at least mostly back, from an injury of his own, perhaps the Canucks can afford Lankinen some time to rest with only nine games left in the season.
Hip injuries for NHL goalies can be chronic, and sometimes career-altering, if not treated promptly or effectively.
Giving Demko six of the last nine games, for example, could be a reasonable split if the Canucks find they need to carefully manage Lankinen's injury.
The last thing the club needs is a hobbled goalie signed into his mid-30s at a sizeable cap hit.