In this edition of the Vancouver Canucks News & Rumors, an update on Thatcher Demko‘s injury. Addtionally, the Canucks are looking into adding another goalie. Also, the club traded Vasily Podkolzin to the Edmonton Oilers.
Demko Injury Recovery
CHEK TV’s Rick Dhaliwal said Demko isn’t 100% after suffering a knee injury during the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Dhaliwal said Demko’s rehab isn’t as far as some in Vancouver want. However, he added that the goaltender hadn’t faced any setbacks during his recovery.
“Canucks, I’ve been told, have been worried about Demko’s rehab going back to the NHL Draft,” Dhaliwal said. “That’s when they started talks again with Casey DeSmith, is when they were kind of worried about Demko’s rehab. He hadn’t skated.”
Demko has suffered back-to-back knee injuries, with the first occurring in March 2023. The news on Demko’s slow recovery is somewhat confusing, considering the fact the goalie said he was close to returning after the Canucks were eliminated in Game 7 against the Edmonton Oilers. The Canucks could be cautious due to Demko’s injury history and allow the goaltender to take his time before returning to action.
Canucks Interested in Adding a Goalie
With the Demko news, the Canucks are looking into adding a veteran goaltender. Dhaliwal said the club is poking around the goalie market and potentially inviting someone to camp on a professional tryout.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if the Canucks continue to poke around the goalie market again, mostly just to protect themselves. The Canucks may need insurance, just in case.”
Related: Vancouver Canucks’ Best Trades with the New Jersey Devils
The Canucks were interested in re-signing DeSmith after becoming worried about Demko’s rehab. DeSmith signed with the Dallas Stars in free agency. The Canucks have Arturs Silovs, who played great in the playoffs for the organization. They also signed Jiri Patera, who has only played eight NHL games in his career. There are three goalies the Canucks can look into adding Martin Jones, Antti Raanta and Kevin Lankinen.
Podkozlin Trade
The Canucks traded their 2019 first-round pick in Podkolzin to the Edmonton Oilers for a 2025 fourth-round draft pick.
“We would like to thank Vasily for his time here with the Canucks,” general manager Patrik Allvin said. “Podz put in a lot of work both on and off the ice and we wish him all the best in Edmonton.”
Podkozlin hasn’t developed into the players the Canucks have expected over the past few years. He spent two seasons in Russia before moving to North America in the 2021-22 season. He played 79 games with Vancouver in 2021-22, scoring 14 goals and posting 26 points. However, he failed to follow up a similar performance over the next two seasons, playing 39 games in 2022-23, scoring four goals and posting seven points. He also played 28 games in the American Hockey League (AHL) with Abbotsford, scoring seven goals and 18 points.
This past season, Podkolzin started the season with Abbotsford scoring 15 goals and posting 28 points. He was off to a hot start but suffered a concussion which took him out of the lineup for some time. He returned to the NHL later in the season, playing in 19 games and posting two assists, while also playing in two playoff games.
The forward was buried in the Canucks depth chart and the organization realized he likely won’t become the player expected in Vancouver. Meanwhile, Edmonton lost one of their top young players Dylan Holloway and the club added a bottom-nine forward to replace him.
Canucks Goalie Coach Update
The Canucks promoted former head goalie coach and director of goaltending Ian Clark to goalie scout and goaltending development coach after he asked for a new position with the organization.
“When Ian approached me to say that he needed to make a change in his role to transition off the ice, we quickly went to work to find a solution,” Allvin said. “With Clarkie wanting something different at the hockey club, we were extremely fortunate to have Marko in the system and ready to take on the responsibility of becoming our new goaltending coach in Vancouver. Unfortunately, Ian can no longer go on the ice regularly to do the things that have made him successful. But this new role will fit with his expertise and having Clarkie going out to find and develop talent will be a big asset to the organization.”
Replacing Clark will be Marko Torenius, who the club promoted. Torenius was the development coach and goaltending coach with Abbotsford last season.
