Ahead of the 2024-25 regular season, we would have contended that Vincent Desharnais (two years at $4 million) and/or Daniel Sprong (one year at $975k) represented the best value for money among the Vancouver Canucks' offseason additions. However, five games into the campaign we now have someone else in mind, and really, it's not even close.
We're talking specifically about Kevin Lankinen, who was only signed towards the end of September on a one-year contract worth $875k. Even at that time everyone connected to the Canucks knew they were getting an excellent team-friendly deal, but no one could have predicted just how excellent it was going to prove to be.
Expected by many to be the backup to Artūrs Šilovs for however long Thatcher Demko remains out, the tables have now been turned. And not just because Šilovs endured a nightmare on opening night, when he allowed six goals on 26 shots in an overtime loss to the Calgary Flames.
Lankinen bringing much-needed stability between the pipes
No, Lankinen has played well in his own right, bringing calm, veteran leadership between the pipes for a team which is off to an inconsistent start in 2024-25. It began with an excellent outing against the Philadelphia Flyers, with him allowing just two goals in 65 minutes of action, before the Canucks ultimately lost 3-2 via a shootout.
The sign that coach Rick Tocchet had more confidence in Lankinen over Šilovs came early, when the Canucks embarked on their first road trip of the campaign. Set to face the Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers two days apart and wanting both goalies to have a start, Tocchet preferred to have Lankinen in net for the second game against the reigning Stanley Cup champions.
Tocchet's decision was proved justified, with Lankinen compiling a .929 save percentage in another excellent display. He was awarded the game's Second Star, as the Canucks finally secured their first win of the season in a thrilling 3-2 overtime victory against the Panthers.
Another start versus the Flyers
With Tocchet sensing he had a hot hand in goal, he decided to stop rotating goalies and gave Lankinen a second consecutive start in Saturday's trip to Philadelphia and a rematch with the Flyers. This time around no overtime or shootout would be necessary, as the Canucks' new number one had his best game yet for the Canucks.
In a phenomenal effort, nothing got past the 29-year-old as he stopped all 29 shots he faced on the night, for the fourth shutout of his NHL career. As a result, the Canucks won their second straight game and he took home the game's First Star, after ruining the Flyers' home opener.
Postgame, Tocchet praised his goalie, but remain measured as opposed to getting too carried away, as is the coach's personality. As per Adam Kimelman of NHL.com, he said: "It's still early, but he's put three good games together. He just looks really solid. Even when we were running around a little bit he was in his net, he looked big in his net, he wasn't flopping all around. He was really steady."
As for Lankinen himself, he's remaining grounded, while also being grateful. Also as per Kimelman, he said: "Whenever I get the nod, I just try to put my best foot forward and stay present. I'm thankful for the opportunity to start here and play for these guys. I'm just doing my best to keep sharp and help the team win."
A career year in the making?
Of course it's ridiculously early in the campaign, but for what little it's worth at this stage,Lankinen is projected to have his best season yet in the NHL, with a 1.28 Goals Against Average (GAA) and .953 save percentage. To provide some context, for his career as a whole he has a 3.02 GAA and .906 save percentage in 115 games (including 104 starts).
As well as Lankinen has undoubtedly played in his own right in keeping the Canucks afloat through their up-and-down start, he is all about the team. As he said: "I'm feeling comfortable, feeling confident. I think I'm feeling confident ever since I got here, just knowing some of the guys. The guys been really great at welcoming me and making me feel good and comfortable just around everybody. And I think just this team, just how good it is, it's fun to play behind it. And the system and the guys we have here just prove it every single night."
Thanks to how well the Helsinki, Finland native is playing, it sets up an intriguing scenario whenever Demko is finally ready to return. This will led to the obvious question of which goalie will make way and be sent to Abbotsford?
In this respect, consider that Šilovs still has one more season of waiver exemption remaining. Combine this with the form of the respective goalies thus far for the Canucks, and it would seem a straighforward decision to keep Lankinen around in Vancouver.
Certainly, fans will want to keep an eye on how the team's goalies continue to perform moving forward. For now though, Lankinen is looking like the deal of the century for the Canucks.