Canucks injury news: Thatcher Demko set for first start in nearly a month
The Vancouver Canucks are getting some good news on the injury front.
Goaltender Thatcher Demko is expected to start against the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday after missing the Canucks’ last 12 games with a lower-body injury.
☑️Thatcher Demko (lower-body) will return vs. BUF on Thursday. #Canucks - Last played on Nov. 11th, 2025.
Thatcher Demko declares himself ready to go for the Buffalo game on Thursday. #Canucks @Sportsnet650
Demko sustained the injury during Vancouver’s 5-3 loss to the Winnipeg Jets on November 11th, which he exited early in some apparent discomfort.
Thatcher Demko has left this game with what looks like a groin injury. He might have suffered it on this save. 🎥: Sportsnet | #Canucks
This was after the San Diego native did not dress the previous two games for an unspecified reason.
In 10 starts this season, Demko has a 5-4 record with a .903 save percentage and a 2.80 goals-against average.
The Canucks are hoping Demko’s return will help fortify a goaltending situation which has been grim so far this season. Vancouver ranks dead last in the NHL with 3.60 goals allowed per game. Kevin Lankinen, who has largely assumed the Canucks’ crease duties in Demko’s absence, has a .878 SV% and a 3.48 GAA in 16 starts this season.
Demko, 30, has struggled to stay healthy the last couple of years. He missed a large portion of last season with a knee injury, which limited him to just 23 starts. In those starts, he had a 10-8-3 record with a .889 SV% and a 2.90 GAA.
Drafted 36th overall by Vancouver in 2014, Demko has spent the entirety of his career with the Canucks. He is a two-time All Star, and finished second in voting for the Vezina Trophy in 2023-24, when he sported a 35-14-2 record with a .918 SV% and a 2.45 GAA.
Vancouver is currently in last place in the Pacific Division, with 25 points through 30 games. They are one point up on the Nashville Predators for last place in the Western Conference.
The Canucks will finish up a four-game homestand against the Sabres on Thursday, before kicking off a five-game road trip against the New Jersey Devils on Sunday.