Vancouver Canucks Sign Four Nations Faceoff Goaltender to Massive Extension: Thatcher Demko's Future Unknown
The Vancouver Canucks have question marks over Thatcher Demko's future, and now they've inked his potential replacement on a five-year deal.
This season has been a wild one in Vancouver thus far, as the team have dealt with many ups-and-downs, injuries and drama both on and off the ice, but now coming out of the Four Nations break, it appears that things have steadied.
Now, they've made a surprising move, as the team have inked goaltender Kevin Lankinen to a long-term deal, paying the 29-year old Finnish star $4.5 million AAV over the next five years.
This comes despite the team already having Thatcher Demko under contract, but with the talented goalie playing 50 or more games just once in his career, and with the 29-year old still dealing with injury issues this season, it appears the team are now worried about his future.
Originally this past summer, Lankinen was signed to be injury insurance for Demko and a potential bridge to Artus Silovs, who showed plenty of potential in his first few chances in Vancouver, but now, he's becoming their starter of the future.
In 34 games played this season, Lankinen has posted a 2.53 GAA alongside a .905 save percentage, with the team having a record of 19-8-7 with him in net, and now, the team have confirmed that he's a key piece of their future.
Ultimately, this is a move that nobody saw coming, as Demko was considered to be the goaltender of the future in Vancouver, but with Lankinen now set to be paid $4.5 million a year over the next five years, it leaves Thatcher's future up in the air, with the team believing that Lankinen gives them the best opportunity to win now and in the foreseeable future.
| G | A | PTS | ||
| Tom Wilson | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Alexander Ovechkin | - | 3 | 3 | |
| Brendan Gallagher | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Anthony Cirelli | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Josh Doan | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Pierre-Luc Dubois | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Dylan Guenther | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Victor Hedman | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Jack McBain | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Dylan Strome | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Jake Guentzel | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Brandon Hagel | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Michael Carcone | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Christian Dvorak | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Zemgus Girgensons | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Nick Paul | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Brayden Point | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Cam Atkinson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| John Carlson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Nick Desimone | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Complete stats | ||||
| STANDINGS 2024-2025 | ||||||
TOP 10 | GP | W | L | OL | PTS | |
Jets | 56 | 39 | 14 | 3 | 81 | |
Capitals | 55 | 36 | 11 | 8 | 80 | |
Oilers | 55 | 34 | 17 | 4 | 72 | |
Stars | 55 | 35 | 18 | 2 | 72 | |
Golden Knights | 56 | 33 | 17 | 6 | 72 | |
Panthers | 57 | 34 | 20 | 3 | 71 | |
Hurricanes | 56 | 33 | 19 | 4 | 70 | |
Wild | 56 | 33 | 19 | 4 | 70 | |
Maple Leafs | 55 | 33 | 20 | 2 | 68 | |
Avalanche | 57 | 33 | 22 | 2 | 68 | |
| Conference | Cumulative | ||||||