We are now officially 49 days from the start of the 2026-27 season for the Vancouver Canucks. As we get another day closer, the questions continue to swirl around this team after finishing last in the NHL last season. Can they improve from last season? What does the first year of the rebuild have in store?
There are a ton of questions surrounding the Canucks. However, one of those has been about the outlook for goaltending heading into the upcoming season. What could the goalie situation look like for the Canucks in 2026-27?
Thatcher Demko staying healthy is a priority
One of the big questions for the Canucks in 2026-27 is whether netminder Thatcher Demko can stay healthy for a full season. Over the last couple of seasons, Demko has played only 43 total games between 2024-25 and 2025-26. During that time, he has a record of 18-18-4 with a 2.90 goals-against average (GAA) and a .892 save percentage (SV%).
Furthermore, he has two shutouts over that time in 2417:05 of total ice time. Demko even had an assist last season on Dec. 14 against the New Jersey Devils. While all of that is good, the Canucks really need their No. 1 goalie to stay in the crease more than 25 games in a season. When Demko played in 51 games during the 2023-24 season, he finished with a 35-14-2 record with a 2.45 GAA, a .918 SV%, and five shutouts.
As of now, Demko is slotted as the No. 1 goalie in a tandem with Kevin Lankinen, who has had to be the guy for the Canucks over the last couple of seasons. The pressure is really on Demko this upcoming season after his three-year extension from last July has officially begun. His new three-year, $25.50 million deal will see him be paid $8.5 million annually through the 2028-29 season. Demko will be 33 years old and an unrestricted free agent (UFA) when the deal expires.
Now that his new deal has kicked in, the 2026-27 season will be a pivotal one for Demko to show that he is still that elite netminder people saw from 2021-22 to 2023-24. On top of that, will Demko have some help in the crease this season from Lankinen?
Is Lankinen due for a bounce back season?
Looking back on the 2024-25 season, Lankinen finished with a 25-15-10 record, along with a 2.62 GAA, a .902 SV%, and four shutouts. He was a key addition for the Canucks after signing a one-year, $875,000 deal prior to the season beginning. After betting on himself, he went on to sign a five-year, $22.50 million extension on Feb. 21, 2025, to stay in Vancouver through the 2029-30 season.
While that was a great 2024-25 for Lankinen, the 2025-26 season was the complete opposite for the Finnish netminder. Granted, it was not all his fault, especially when the team as a whole had a goal differential of minus-100 last season. Regarding Lankinen, he finished with a 11-27-5 record with a 3.70 GAA, a .875 SV%, and two assists.
Lankinen, over the last two seasons, has played in 98 games, starting 92 of them for the Canucks. In 2024-25, he started 49 games, then 43 last season. That is a significant jump in starts from the 37 he had in his rookie season in 2020-21 with the Chicago Blackhawks. Lankinen, in his time with the Canucks, has a 36-42-15 record with a .889 SV% and a 3.12 GAA. Despite the woes last season, Lankinen has proven he can hold his own when he has support in front of him.
The hope is that the additions of Jamie Oleksiak and Luke Schenn on the blueline can help out the netminders this upcoming season. While it's early in the rebuild, hopefully there will be a turnaround for both Lankinen and Demko. Will the system under head coach Manny Malhotra help out his netminders with support and staying healthy?
Only time will tell, but there is hope of a turnaround not just for the goalie, but the team as a whole. When it comes to the 2026-27 season for the Canucks in the crease, can Demko stay healthy, and can Lankinen return to his 2024-25 form?
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