Opinion: Thatcher Demko's Injury Could Be Devastating for the Vancouver Canucks

Thatcher Demko Bob Frid-USA TODAY Sports

The Vancouver Canucks won Game 1 of their series against the Nashville Predators in the first round of this year’s Stanley Cup playoffs, in no small part due to the contributions of star goaltender Thatcher Demko.

Unfortunately, Demko appears to be injured. Canucks coach Rick Tocchet confirmed he’ll miss Game 2 and be considered “day-to-day” until further notice. That’s as catastrophic of a development as it gets for the Canucks, who regularly thrived when Demko was playing.

Tocchet told reporters Tuesday that Demko’s current injury isn’t the same one as the knee injury that limited him to 51 appearances this regular season. But that’s small consolation to Canucks fans who were counting on Demko to continue being a needle-moving influence for Vancouver.

If the 28-year-old Demko can’t come back soon from his current malady, it’s difficult to envision the Canucks going on a long playoff run. That’s especially given the fact that No. 2 netminder Casey DeSmith will be their go-to guy for the time being. DeSmith posted a 2.89 goals-against average and .896 save percentage in the regular season, and the 32-year-old has played exactly one post-season game in his NHL career.

Turning to DeSmith is now necessary and could prove to be the difference between Vancouver being knocked off by the Predators and moving on to enjoy a deep playoff run. The Canucks finished the regular season tied for fifth place on the defensive front, posting a 2.70 goals-against average as a team. But obviously, Demko was a huge part of that defensive prowess, and Vancouver now has to cope without him. Between March 10 and April 15, when the Canucks played without Demko, the team ranked 11th in the NHL for fewest goals against per game, with 2.86.

It’s possible DeSmith rises to the occasion and gives a performance that allows Canucks skaters a chance to win games via their potent offense. But if things go south and DeSmith either underperforms or is injured himself, the next option in net is 23-year-old Arturs Silovs, who has just nine games of NHL experience under his belt.

You can see, then, why Canucks fans are having heart palpitations at the thought of being without Demko for the rest of the post-season. They know what side their team’s bread is buttered on, and if Demko can’t come back this year, the best hopes of Canucks staff and players could quickly go up in smoke. It’s true that injuries are part of every playoff tournament, but Demko’s injury could be devastating for Vancouver.

The hockey gods have thrown the Canucks for a loop with this latest injury news, and now they’ll either sink or swim with the goaltending depth – or lack thereof – that management has constructed this year.

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