Vancouver Canucks could be without all-star goalie Thatcher Demko for weekend games

VANCOUVER — The Vancouver Canucks may be without goalie Thatcher Demko for a pair of back-to-back home games this weekend.

The 29-year-old all-star netminder was not on the ice with his teammates at practice on Friday.

Vancouver (7-8-0) has called goalie Jiri Patera up from the American Hockey League’s Abbotsford Canucks Friday under emergency conditions.

Head coach Adam Foote said Demko is taking care of himself in a season with a condensed schedule, but did not say he was dealing with an injury.

“He’s doing what we asked him to do. And I like that,” the coach said.

Foote, a former NHL defenceman, compared the situation with his own playing career where he had back surgery in his second season.

“As my career went, in the travel and the tough minutes and things like that, I had to be responsible,” said the two-time Stanley Cup winner. “The coaches trusted in me, my strength coach trusted in me, when to take a day. And that’s all. (Demko’s) got to take care of himself.”

Asked whether Demko is an option for Vancouver’s games against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday and the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday, Foote said it was too soon to tell.

“He may be. We’ll see,” he said. “We’re going to go with this thing as we wake up every morning.”

Demko is 5-4-0 this season with a .912 save percentage, a 2.57 goals-against average. He last played on Monday in Vancouver’s 5-4 overtime win against the Predators in Nashville.

The six-foot-four, 192-pound goalkeeper missed much of last season after suffering a knee injury in Game 1 of Vancouver’s first-round playoff series against the Nashville Predators in the 2023-24 campaign.

At the end of that season, he was named a finalist for the Vezina Trophy, awarded annually to the NHL’s best goalie, after going 35-14-2 with a .918 save percentage and a 2.45 goals-against average.

Demko did not play again until Dec. 10, 2024, and struggled to stay healthy through much of last season. He played just 23 games, and posted a 10-8-3 record with a .889 save percentage, a 2.90 goals-against average and one shutout.

He went on to sign a three-year, US$25.5-million extension on July 1.

The Canucks have weathered a number of early-season absences in recent weeks, and had five players on the injured-reserve list during their 5-2 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2025.