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Christopher Faucher
March 25, 2026Â Â (10:13)
Photo credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images
Thatcher Demko is right at the center of Adam Foote’s next big roster call in Vancouver.
That’s why Frank Seravalli’s read on the Canucks crease doesn’t sound like idle noise. It sounds like the next piece of business for a team that has already slipped to 21-41-8.
Vancouver isn’t sitting in a spot where it can keep kicking this down the road. The Canucks are last in the Pacific, and that pushes every roster decision into a bigger light.
The real pressure point is simple: Demko and Kevin Lankinen together carry a $13 million goaltending picture, and that’s a lot for a club talking openly about a rebuild and younger players getting a look.
Lankinen made his own position clear this week. He said he is fully committed to Vancouver and wants to be part of the culture change, even while accepting a different role.
That matters, because it tells you one side of this situation may not be pushing for the exit. The decision could land squarely on Foote and general manager Patrik Allvin.
The Canucks have reached the point of no return in net
There’s another layer here, and it may be the biggest one. Nikita Tolopilo has started 7 of the last 13 games, which shows Vancouver is already using NHL ice time to learn what it has behind the veterans.
That’s what makes this feel like a coming crease cleanup, not just summer talk. Teams don’t hand that kind of runway to a younger goalie unless they’re preparing for a harder decision.
Demko’s side of it is even trickier. He is having hip surgery, and CanucksArmy noted his 3-year extension at $8.5 million begins next season.
Before that new deal kicks in, Demko still has no trade protection until July 1. That doesn’t guarantee a move, but it absolutely keeps the door open wider than it will be later.
Daily Faceoff already framed Demko as a trade target and listed him at 23 games with a .889 save percentage this season. That’s not peak value, but the league still knows the talent.
So the Canucks are staring at a hard choice: pay premium money to keep two established goalies on a losing team, or move one and clear the crease for the next phase.
Everything around Vancouver says a move is coming. Maybe not today, but this doesn’t look like a tandem built to survive intact much longer.
Previously on Vancouver Hockey Daily
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Vancouver Canucks facing big goalie decision that could change the season
Should the Vancouver Canucks move Thatcher Demko before July 1 ?