Everyone involved with the Vancouver Canucks is still adjusting to life without their former captain and best player, Quinn Hughes. It will take some time to get used to it, but depending on how deep the disassembly goes, reality can quickly set in.
No one feels untouchable in Vancouver right now – especially the veterans – which has led to a lot of speculation about the future of Thatcher Demko, among others.
The two-time All-Star netminder has struggled to stay healthy in recent years, and that trend continued early in this season. However, since returning from a lower-body injury just over a week ago, Demko has been sitting out, leading some fans to fear he will. ruin the tank.
They’ll have to get used to it, though, as Canucks insider Rick Dhaliwal revealed Friday morning that Demko has made it clear to the front office that he has no interest in leaving Vancouver despite Hughes’ departure.
Dhaliwal said:
“I have no indication at this point that Garland and Demko want out. Demko made it clear after the Hughes trade that he doesn’t want to go anywhere. But teams will be keeping an eye on Demko, I’m told, to see how long he can stay healthy for the rest of the year,” he said.
The 30-year-old Demko, who is in the final season of the five-year, $25 million extension he signed to stay in Vancouver through 2021, just signed another three-year, $25.5 million extension with the Canucks on July 1, 2025.
Does Thatcher Demko have his eye on the Canucks’ future?
As much as Demko wants to stay in Vancouver after the Hughes trade, there’s no doubt that the odds of that happening have diminished now Jim Rutherford seems to be committed to reconstruction.
Given his age and lengthy injury history, it could make sense for the Canucks to take advantage of his value while it is high – similar to how the Penguins recently moved Tristan Jarry, another talented but older and oft-injured goaltender who no longer fits into their timeline.
Of course, Vancouver also just drafted Aleksei Medvedev in the second round (47th overall) in 2025, adding another layer to the team’s long-term plans. It may not happen before this year’s trade deadline, but in the grand scheme of things, it feels increasingly unlikely that Demko will fully play out his new extension with the Canucks – whether he wants to or not.
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