Doctor weighs in on Canucks Thatcher Demko's injury: It's worse than expected

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Tyler Ball
August 24, 2024 (7:34 PM)

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Today a new piece of information from a doctor has placed doubt on Thatcher Demko's ability to return for the start of the 2024-25 NHL season.

The Vancouver Canucks lost starting goalie Thatcher Demko to a knee injury during the Stanley Cup Playoffs. During a game against the Nashville Predators, Thatcher Demko went down and did not return for the rest of his team's playoff run.

Since the injury was suffered not much has been known about Thatcher Demko's recovery. He had knee surgery earlier this summer and many assumed he would be back for the beginning of the NHL regular season. Now a report has revealed that might not be the case anymore.

Reports cast doubt on the return of Thatcher Demko due to a knee injury

According to Vancouver Canucks reporter Rick Dhaliwal Thatcher Demko is not expected to return for the beginning of training camp. The team remains hopeful he could return for the start of the regular season.

After hearing this news Dr. Harjas Grewel gave his opinion on the situation. He is under the impression due to media reports that Thatcher Demko tore his ACL. If that is the case then according to Dr. Grewel recovery time is 5 plus months after surgery.

With the NHL season just around the corner, the Vancouver Canucks would love to have Thatcher Demko back. Last season he had a career-best year with a 2.45 goals against average and a 0.918 save percentage. If he is going to miss regular season time Arturs Silovs will have to be relied on heavily. Arturs Silovs played just 4 regular season games in 2023-24 but stepped up in the playoffs and performed okay.

If the Vancouver Canucks are without Thatcher Demko for a significant amount of time it could drastically impact their playoff outlook. Hopefully, for the Canucks and their fans the injury isn't as severe and he returns shortly into the NHL season.

Source: Elite Prospects
Thatcher Demko Stats