Thatcher Demko is talking again, and after a season that turned into a long, painful waiting game, the Canucks and their fanbase needed to hear it.

The 30-year-old goaltender appeared in just 20 games this season, finishing with a .895 save percentage and one shutout in a campaign that was largely defined by his absence.

Kevin Lankinen took on the bulk of the work instead, logging 47 starts. He went 5-27 with a .875 SV%. That’s not a knock on Lankinen. That’s a reflection of how broken this team was in front of both of them.

Vancouver finished 25-49-8. Dead last in the NHL. A goal differential of -100.

That number alone tells you everything. The Canucks weren’t close. They weren’t unlucky. They were the worst team in the league from start to finish.

Head coach Adam Foote inherited a roster in freefall and spent the season trying to find out who he actually has. The answer, most nights, wasn’t encouraging.

Demko’s return could be the clearest path back to relevance

Elias Pettersson, the $11.6 million center, was held scoreless in his last 10 games, finishing with 15 goals in 74 appearances. When your franchise player looks like a passenger, the problems run deeper than goaltending.

But a healthy Demko changes the math, at least at one end of the ice. His .895 SV% in limited action suggests the talent is still there. He’s not a project. He just needs games.

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The comparison that comes to mind is a concert pianist dealing with a hand injury. The technique doesn’t disappear. What disappears is the repetition, the rhythm, the ability to trust yourself under pressure again.

That’s the real question surrounding Demko heading into next season. Not whether he can stop pucks. Whether he can get back to being the guy who makes a team feel safe on a nightly basis.

Brock Boeser finished the year at -48. Jake DeBrusk was one of the few genuine bright spots, with 23 goals and a strong second half. But the roster construction around Foote is a work in progress at best.

Demko being motivated is a start. Motivation doesn’t paper over a 100-goal differential, though. The Canucks need real decisions this offseason, not just optimism out of the rehab room.

Whether this core can be salvaged around a healthy Demko, or whether bigger moves are coming, that part is still wide open.


Should the Canucks build their next roster around a healthy Thatcher Demko, or prioritize youth and a full rebuild?

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