Speaking to reporters Monday, head coach Manny Malhotra addressed the latest status of Thatcher Demko.
Most notably, the first-year NHL coach said, “To my knowledge, no,” when asked if there was any concern Demko might not play in the 2026-27 season.
“It’s a slow process for him, but he is getting better,” said Malhotra about Demko’s recovery from hip surgery in January 2026. “Again, don’t want to put a timeline on him, but the fact he is improving daily is a positive. But we’ve said from Day 1 we’re not in a situation where we’re in a rush.”
When asked if the veteran netminder is currently on the ice at all, Malhotra answered, “In this last week, I think we dialled it back. So I think he took a couple days off the ice this (past) weekend.”
Demko, who signed a three-year, $25.5-million extension with the Canucks in July 2025, went 8-10-1 with an .897 save percentage, a 2.90 goals-against average and one shutout last season over 20 games.
He missed a stretch of games from mid-November to mid-December with a lower-body injury, then returned and appeared in 10 more contests before going down again.
Vancouver, which has opened this season 2-7-1, next plays Tuesday against the Carolina Hurricanes at home.