Announcement: Vancouver Canucks Make Contract Offer To Sign Veteran Goaltender Amid Thatcher Demko’s Health Update
CHEK TV’s Rick Dhaliwal reported there is a sign that Demko is making progress on his injury recovery. Dhaliwal reported Demko will be back skating and working out on the ice on Sept. 3. Dhaliwal previously reported the goaltender suffered a setback in his rehab, and his status for training camp and pre-season was questionable. Sportsnet’s Ian MacIntyre said the Canucks are not setting any pre-season dates for the 28-year-old but want him to continue improving.
Demko had a knee injury in March and returned for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup playoffs. He damaged his knee again in Game 1 and missed the rest of the playoffs, but the Canucks anticipated him to return if they advanced to the third round.
The Canucks’ main concern was Demko’s health. Prior to his accident, the netminder was a Vezina Trophy nominee with a decent chance of winning. With Demko back on the ice and working out, the Canucks should have their goalkeeper by October.
Canucks Made Contract Offer to Lankinen
With Demko’s knee rehab in question, the Canucks reached out to Lankinen. Although there is good news on the club’s starter, they are still interested in adding the unrestricted free agent (UFA) netminder.
“Canucks continue to pursue UFA goaltender Kevin Lankinen. The club has made Lankinen an offer, but it’s not good enough to get a deal done right now. But the pursuit of Lankinen continues, we’ll see where that ends up.”
The Canucks are looking for insurance in case one of their top two goalies gets hurt. Lankinen is a good fit as he has played four NHL seasons as a backup with the Chicago Blackhawks and Predators. He started 101 games with a 45-43-12 record, a 3.07 goals against average, a .905 save percentage and five shutouts.
The organization is also interested in NHL veteran Antti Raanta. He has played 11 NHL seasons, starting 251 games and posting a 251-139-80 record. He also has a career GAA of 2.48, an SV% of .915 and 20 shutouts. Regardless of who the Canucks sign, both goaltenders will provide the veteran insurance the club is hoping for.
Silovs Knee Injury
Dhaliwal shared an update on Silovs. Due to an injury, the goalie was not included in Latvia’s Olympic qualification team.
“Arturs Silovs has inflammation in his knee, but it is not expected to be a catastrophic injury. Silovs left Latvia today and should arrive in Vancouver soon to be checked out by Canucks medics.
Silovs had a fantastic playoff run for the Canucks and has established himself as the primary backup to Demko this season.
In addition to Silovs’ injury update, he and Teddy Blueger are expected to represent Latvia at the 2026 Winter Olympics. The team earned their spot by defeating France 5-2 in the last game of the 2024 Olympic Qualifying competition.
Canucks Announce Training Camp Ticket Prices
Canucks’ 2024 Training Camp tickets went on sale on Sept. 4. Training camp starts on Sept. 19 until Sept. 22 at the South Okanagan Events Centre. The club will announce the roster and more information for the camp in the next few days. The Canucks will also have the Young Stars Classic from Sept. 13 to Sept. 16.
There will be a few storylines to follow in training camp for the club. Demko and Silovs’ health will be monitored to see where both goalies are in their recovery. Also, young players such as Jonathan Lekkerimaki, Tom Willander and defenceman Elias Pettersson are prospects to watch for.
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