Canucks’ Thatcher Demko done for 2025-26 season due to hip injury
Thatcher Demko played 51 games for the Vancouver Canucks in 2023-24. But in the past two seasons, he has only tended the twine 43 times.
And unfortunately for the American keeper, his season is now over.
The Canucks confirmed that the 30-year-old has undergone hip surgery and will miss the remainder of the 2025-26 NHL campaign.
“After consulting with our team doctors and outside specialists, Thatcher Demko will be shut down for the rest of the year,” GM Patrik Allvin said. “Thatcher will undergo surgery next week for an injury unrelated to the one that kept him out of action last season. Following his rehab, he will be ready for the start of training camp in September.”
Demko last played against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Jan. 10, allowing three goals on six shots before going down with an injury. The 6-foot-4 keeper went 8-10-0 with a .897 save percentage this season.
When healthy, Demko has proven he can lead the Canucks in net. But injuries have plagued Demko’s past few seasons, leaving many to question if the Canucks can truly trust him. Daily Faceoff Live’s Tyler Yaremchuk and Carter Hutton – a former NHL goaltender himself – broke everything down and wondered what his future could look like in British Columbia:
Carter Hutton: “We know when he is in the lineup and he is healthy, he is one of the elite guys in the NHL. But that being said, if you’re not going to be available and you’re always succumbing to injury, it is very tough for a team to believe in you and to try to build around it.
“He’s still a younger goalie. He still can play, but they gave him that big contract and it feels like now their hands are very tied in Vancouver with Demko.”
Tyler Yaremchuk: “Well, now he’s on the wrong side of 30 and his three-year, $8.5 million extension hasn’t even kicked in. We haven’t heard if this is the same issue or a different issue. But, Hutts, you played the position; you were around the league for a long time. When you’re a goalie and one thing goes wrong and maybe you don’t address it properly the first time, like that can linger and turn into a whole bunch of other different issues.
Carter Hutton: “Yeah, that’s something that I dealt with later in my career, where I was very durable throughout my career. You put in so much work to stay healthy. I had the benefit of not having to play 50-60 games every single year, too, which wears and tears on guys. But I remember my last year when I hurt my ankle, then my hip was sore, and then I ended up hurting my knee, and it’s like the chain of effect of one injury snowballs into another, and there’s really no time to catch up. Whether it’s practicing or playing, the NHL is a grind.”
You can listen to the full episode below: