Canucks’ Thatcher Demko to Return from Injury on Tuesday

The Vancouver Canucks are getting a very important piece of their team back on the ice for Tuesday’s tilt with the Calgary Flames.

According to Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet, goaltender Thatcher Demko is scheduled to start against the Flames on Tuesday in Game 81, ending a 14-game absence due to a knee injury. The 28-year-old last played for the Canucks in a March 9 game against the Winnipeg Jets.

“He’s healthy. He’s ready to go,” Tocchet said. “He’s definitely going to play tomorrow, and we’ll go from there.”

Before going down injured, Demko had ripped off wins in each of his previous two starts and was also given the decision against Winnipeg despite leaving with his knee injury.

In his wake, backup goaltender Casey DeSmith was about average, going 4-5-1 with a 2.79 GAA and .893 save percentage since March 9. Behind DeSmith, Arturs Silovs was also just alright, going 3-0-1 in his four games but having only a .881 save percentage to show for it.

Provided everything goes well for Demko on Tuesday, the San Diego, California native will return to the postseason for the first time since 2020. Demko has just four games of playoff experience during his time with the Canucks, having gone 2-0-1 with a 0.64 GAA and .985 save percentage in the COVID-19 bubble playoffs.

“I appreciate the staff that’s been around me matching my focus level and determination to get back,” Demko said on Thursday. “It takes a village. I’m excited to get back and see what games I can play.”

At the surface, it seems like the Canucks’ plan is to get Demko a game before the Stanley Cup playoffs start so that he’ll have his bearings and some conditioning back. It’s been just over a month since Demko went down against Winnipeg, so Tocchet and Co. have a sensible plan put together if this happens to be the case.

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