Thatcher Demko has seen significant improvement in his game this season
The Vancouver Canucks may be well off contending for a Stanley Cup, but the start of the 2025-26 NHL season has gone relatively well, considering the significant injuries impacting the roster.
Between the pipes, Thatcher Demko has been one of the bright spots. Now in his fifth season as an outright No. 1 goalie, the 29-year-old has bounced back from his knee injuries, showing well in nine games.
While the Canucks have held him out due to preventative measures in recent games, the level he has returned to can only be a good sign.
On Monday’s episode of Daily Faceoff Live, goalie expert Kevin Woodley from NHL.com and InGoal Magazine joined hosts Tyler Yaremchuk and Carter Hutton to break down Demko’s season so far.
Hutton: A guy I want to touch on —and maybe this is a better system or just health, but when we look at Thatcher Demko. He’s been playing a lot better this year, and it seems like he’s back to the old Thatcher Demko.
Woodley: To be honest, the system is looser this year, and part of that is new personnel, new coaching staff under Adam Foote, and just sometimes it’s everybody not being on the same page, getting spread out.
The team is more loose, and he’s just been better. Last year was all about health. This guy is a top-five goaltender in the NHL when he’s healthy, and it’s all a matter of getting him to that spot. If you look at his history, it’s been an every-second-season thing throughout his career. Like plays a full season, gets hurt towards the end of it, his offseason struggles because he has surgery the next season, and isn’t as good. The following summer, he has a full offseason, trains, plays 50-plus games, gets hurt at the end, and misses significant time.
The only question mark about Demko’s game is whether he can stay on the ice to play it. We see the physical tools, and we see how he’s built himself into Ian Clark’s system, even though Ian’s no longer there; that’s still the foundation of how he plays. He’s got all the tools. It’s just a matter of making it to the finish line healthy.
They’re managing his minutes this year and trying to manage his rest, making sure he doesn’t push through an injury and make it worse. I think that’s what it’s all about. The ultimate goal is to get this guy healthy at the end of the season, and hopefully, if they’re in the playoff picture, he’s a guy who can make a difference in the postseason.
You can catch the full Demo segment and the rest of the episode here…