Canucks' Thatcher Demko Opens Up On “Ambiguous” & “Frustrating” Injury

Addressing the media for the first time this fall, Vancouver Canucks goaltender Thatcher Demko spoke openly about the “ambiguous” & “frustrating” knee injury that has him still on the sidelines five months after he played his last game this past season.

Demko talks about the uniqueness of his injury, they haven’t found another hockey player that’s had this injury. He still doesn’t have a timeline and also discusses the Ian Clark situation. #Canucks pic.twitter.com/QbI4FWKtyg
— Farhan Lalji (@FarhanLaljiTSN) September 19, 2024

It sounds like Demko's knee injury is a first of its kind for an NHL player, and it's the uncertainty of it all that has frustrated the Canucks' No. 1 netminder.

“When I first injured myself in the playoffs, it was such a rare case, such a unique injury, that we didn’t really have a lot of readily available research or case studies, or really any information to have a concrete timeline. We were told this might be a situation that we might find ourselves in, the one we’re in right now (which is still no timeline for his return).

“When I first felt the injury, obviously I wasn’t too sure what it was, but as we dived into some research and some things, it was a little bit ambiguous. It’s been a bit of a frustrating summer just trying to get some answers. Obviously, we’ve talked to all the specialists we can around the world."

Demko has done plenty of rehab over the summer, and has even been on the ice for the last couple of weeks. He says he finally can see the "light at the end of the tunnel," and feels confident he'll get back to 100%. But when, nobody seems to know.

The Vezina Trophy runner-up last season posted a 2.45 goals-against average and a .918 save percentage in 51 games. He injured the knee in the very first game of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, in Round One against the Nashville Predators.

The Canucks are still trying to bolster their goalie roster, having made an offer to UFA Kevin Lankinen, but so far he has not accepted it.