Canucks Rumors: Vancouver Waiting Until Training Camp To Make A Goalie Move

According to Patrick Johnston of The Province, the Vancouver Canucks are holding off on making any significant decisions regarding their goaltending situation until training camp begins. 

Both Thatcher Demko and Arturs Silovs are dealing with knee injuries, with Demko recovering slowly from an issue sustained during the 2024 playoffs and Silovs managing ligament inflammation that sidelined him from Latvia's Olympic qualifying games. 

The Canucks are cautiously optimistic but will wait to assess both goalies during camp physicals before deciding on any potential moves.

.@risingaction followed the Artūrs Šilovs injury story closely all week.

While at times there were red flags🚩, it seems like Artūrs' injury may not be as serious as some Latvian statements made it out to be.

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— Sekeres and Price (@sekeresandprice) September 1, 2024

In preparation, Vancouver has reached out to free-agent goalies Kevin Lankinen and Antti Raanta as possible backup options. 

The team’s preference is to sign one on a professional tryout (PTO), though Lankinen is reportedly seeking a full contract, while Raanta’s stance remains unclear. 

Raanta's prior experience with Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet in Arizona could make him a strong candidate if Demko or Silovs are not ready by the start of the season.

Four years ago today, the Vancouver Canucks won game 6 in round two of the bubble playoffs thanks in large part to a 48 save shutout by Thatcher Demko.

The goal scorers from this game were Jake Virtanen, J.T. Miller, Quinn Hughes, and Bo Horvat.

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— CanucksArmy (@CanucksArmy) September 3, 2024

Canucks president Jim Rutherford emphasized the importance of avoiding long-term injured reserve (LTIR) to maintain salary cap flexibility throughout the year. 

Last season, the team's inability to accrue cap space limited their options at the trade deadline, a scenario they hope to avoid this time.

Photo Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images