Vancouver Canucks activate Thatcher Demko from injured reserve, assign Arturs Silovs to AHL

Vancouver Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin announced Monday that the club has activated goaltender Thatcher Demko from injured reserve ahead of their Monday night game against the Dallas Stars. In a corresponding move, they will assign goaltender Arturs Silovs to the Abbotsford Canucks of the American Hockey League. 

Demko was injured back in early December in a 5-1 loss to the Florida Panthers. The incident occurred late in the first period when Demko made a flurry of saves and stretched out to stop a shot from Panthers’ forward Patric Hornqvist when he seemed to strain himself. As he made his way to the locker room, he was seen limping and in significant discomfort. He was ruled out for the game and the next morning the Canucks announced he would be out for approximately six weeks with a lower-body injury. 

The 26-year-old has had a rough season, going 3-10-2, posting a .883 save percentage and a -11.35 goals saved above expected, the sixth-worst mark in the league. Last season, Demko had a career year with a 33-22-7 record, a .915 save percentage, and 7.3 goals saved above expected. The six-year Canuck veteran is currently in the second year of a five-year, $25 million deal he signed following the pandemic-shortened season. The contract carries a cap bit of $5 million and runs through 2025-26. 

In a season where the Canucks have fired their head coach Bruce Boudreau and traded captain Bo Horvat to the New York Islanders, there seems to be a sense of normalcy coming to Vancouver with the return of their starting goaltender. The Canucks currently pose a record of 23-31-5 and sit sixth in the Pacific Division.