Canucks injury updates: Höglander and Demko could return vs. Sabres next Thursday

The Vancouver Canucks returned to Rogers Arena for a practice on Thursday after their four-game road trip through California and Colorado.

Injuries remain a storyline for the hockey club, but a few players returned to the ice. Forward Nils Höglander had shed his red non-contact jersey and was in a regular practice jersey. While he did not have a set line he skated with, the Swede was active in drills.

Head Coach Adam Foote met with the media and shared a projected timeline for Höglander:

“It was good to see him,” Foote shared. “He’s pumped up. I mean, obviously, he needs a few practices with us. I think it’s probably realistic [for him to return against] Buffalo, as long as nothing changes – maybe Detroit, but it’s a big maybe.”

Höglander was injured in the Canucks’ second preseason game against the Calgary Flames. He received a hit along the boards in the neutral zone and left the game shortly after. Höglander had surgery on his ankle injury and is on pace to return around his original 8-10 week timeline.

Goaltender Thatcher Demko also joined his teammates for the first bit of practice, but left after a few drills. Donnie & Dhali’s Rick Dhaliwal shared an update on X, stating, “Demko was on the ice before practice, early word is the plan may have been for him to leave early.”

According to the head coach, Demko has a similar timeline to Höglander:

“Yeah, it’s such a… Okay, Buffalo is probably not a reach, right? So I’ll just say it. But if it changes, don’t be mad at me,” Foote joked. “The way he was today, you know, talking to our goalie coach, and you know, whether he needs, I don’t want to put a number on it, because I don’t know if it’s three, four more skates like that, or five. I think Buffalo is a realistic [timeline].”

Demko has been out since departing after the first period against the Winnipeg Jets on November 11. Of the nine games since Demko went down, Kevin Lankinen has started six games, Nikita Tolopilo two, and Jiri Patera one.

The Canucks are about to embark on a four-game homestand, with games on Friday against the Utah Mammoth, on Saturday against the Minnesota Wild, on Monday against the Detroit Red Wings, and wrap it up in one week’s time against the Buffalo Sabres. And the Canucks may be getting two key contributors back before the end of this homestand.