Vancouver Canucks lose Thatcher Demko to another complicated injury
Photo credit: Bob Frid - Imagn Images
Vancouver's goalie Thatcher Demko was pulled from the game against the Jets last night, this after having already missed several games due to nagging health issues.
Demko missed both of this past weekend's back-to-back games for Vancouver, Saturday against the Blue Jackets and Sunday against the Avalanche.
Then, in last night's game against Winnipeg, Demko left with what looked to be a groin injury.
Though he is only 29 years-old, Demko has a long history of injuries, including a significant one to his knee in the 2023-24 season that led to him missing much of that campaign.
The Vancouver Canucks have been managing his minutes and workload this season so as to prevent further injury-related issues and keep him healthy for the season.
Here is what head coach Adam Foote had to say about Demko's absence from practice last Friday for preventative maintenance:
We asked him this summer, and we had a conversation with him to take care of himself, and know in a condensed schedule when he feels he needs a little bit of time off, and that's what he's doing...The latter half of your career, there's times where you can feel something else come, [because of] compensation, right? So, you might have to have a maintenance day or some time to work on something, so that's it, that's all.
Yet, despite efforts to manage his minutes and workload, Demko's health continues to be a concern. It's not unusual for him to miss practice and several games in row for maintenance.
Given his health status, it's unlikely that Stan Bowman will be making any calls to Vancouver to inquire about a possible upgrade in goal, even as a back-up. Demko has likely been crossed from the GM's list of possible goalie for whom to trade.
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