This Canucks season hasn’t gone as planned to say the least. You can name many reasons for that. However one of the biggest ones is the health of Thatcher Demko. Ever since game one against Nashville in the playoffs there have been question marks in Vancouver’s goal crease. Arturs Silovs played well in the playoffs but has had trouble tracking pucks from the blueline and teams have caught on to that. Kevin Lankinen has played well for the Canucks this season, but do you think he’s good enough to carry the Canucks to a cup?
I know some people say you don’t need a good goalie to win a cup. The Colorado Avalanche in 2022 are an example of that. But I think you do, having a great goalie gives you a great advantage in the playoffs. In the playoffs every game matters and you’re going to need a goalie to steal you a game here and there. Demko has that ability to do that for the Canucks and he did multiple last season before his knee injury. Last year Demko had 35 wins, 2.45 goals against average and a .918 save percentage and he was an all-star and Vezina trophy runner-up. This year he’s only a shell of himself. He’s 4-6-3 with a .873 save percentage and 3.26 goals against average.
His knee is clearly bothering him and you can see that during the game. Which poses the question. Is it time to move on from Demko? I know you might think I’m crazy but there have been reports that his knee might never be 100 percent healthy. I don’t think you can start a goalie who’s not 100 percent healthy in the NHL, especially if you’re a team trying to win a Stanley Cup. His contract is up after next year and do you want to bring him back? You know what you have in Lankinen and Silovs is still young and developing. I know how much people love Demko but is his time in Vancity done? If he gets back to his old form I say you have to keep him. But that’s a big if. Let me ask you this question, if the playoffs started today who would you want in goal? Demko or Lankinen? I think the answer is Lankinen. He gives you the best chance to win as of right now. What do you think? Is it time to move on from Demko?