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Canucks would be foolish not to have a contingency plan in place for Thatcher Demko

Canucks goaltender Thatcher Demko is one player who could make or break the team in 2024-25 if his injury woes continue.

By Todd Matthews

Apr 21, 2024; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko (35) watches the rebound against the Nashville Predators in game one of the first round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images
Apr 21, 2024; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko (35) watches the rebound against the Nashville Predators in game one of the first round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images / Bob Frid-Imagn Images
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While we’re talking about one Canucks player perhaps taking the next step in his NHL journey, we have another one whose injury woes could keep getting the best of him. That player, of course, is goaltender Thatcher Demko, who was one of the best netminders in hockey until his injury problems resurfaced. 

It happened late in the season and, unfortunately for Vancouver, during the NHL Playoffs. Overall, if Demko remained healthy, his presence could have led the Canucks past the Edmonton Oilers and into the Conference Final. No, we won’t know for sure, but for a player who finished second for the Vezina Trophy and wound up with Second-Team All-Star honors, it’s a valid guess. 

Demko also finished the year with five shutouts, a 2.45 GAA, a 0.918 save percentage, plus a staggering 0.647 quality starts percentage across 51 starts. But if Demko’s injuries persist early in the season, and it’s looking to be the case, the Canucks have got to head into the 2024-25 season with a contingency plan. 

If not, they’re short-selling themselves, and their encore of what was an incredible year in 2023-24 will threaten to go to the wayside fast. So, what could happen to Vancouver should Demko end up missing time?

Canucks MUST have a contingency plan in place for Thatcher Demko

Looking at the Canucks projected lineup over at Puck Pedia, Arturs Silovs looks like the No. 2 guy in the net. While Silovs saw limited time in the crease last season, his sample size was so-so, with an epic 2.47 GAA, but just an 0.881 save percentage and a 0.500 quality starts percentage. 

Silovs wasn’t as sharp in the playoffs, finishing with a 2.91 GAA, an 0.898 save percentage, and just a 0.400 quality starts percentage. That said, he still recorded a shutout and played admirably at times, so if you give Silovs a full offseason plus an entire preseason in which he knows he’s the No. 1 netminder behind Demko, his play should improve. 

Plus, he’s going from seeing the bulk of his playing time in the playoffs to the early stages of the regular season. This could be a major advantage for Silovs to get some early-season playing time if Demko’s injury concerns continue to bother him come mid-October. 

The ideal contingency plan? Why not play Silovs as a 1B, or someone who gets around 40 percent of the starts early in the year? Doing so will keep pressure off of Demko while limiting his overall playing time if he’s good to go early in the year but would benefit from more rest between games. 

If Demko needs time off, then the Canucks need to find a way to get a veteran goaltender in town quickly, ideally one who can double up and later provide organizational depth. Because I wouldn’t leave Silovs out there as a No. 1 goaltender, but one who could effectively split time with another if the Canucks wish to duplicate the early-season success they saw last season.

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