Although there have been plenty of points of frustration for fans of the Vancouver Canucks in recent seasons, one of the most consistent ones has been the uncertainty surrounding the health and status of veteran goaltender Thatcher Demko. Demko has simply been unable to remain healthy for any consistent length of time across several seasons, with the now 30 year old netminder appearing in a total of just 43 games spread out over the last two National Hockey League seasons
It is especially frustrating when you consider the fact that now former Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin signed Demko to a new contract extension that only kicks in this upcoming season, a 3 year contract at an average annual value and salary cap hit of $8.5 million
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While that may not be a great outlook for the Canucks as things currently stand, for the first time in a long time there may be a reason for hope when it comes to the status of Demko. During a recent TV hit on the NHL network, insider Elliotte Friedman shed some light on what is transpiring behind the scenes with Demko over the summer
“I have heard from people who have seen it that he is skating,” revealed Friedman on the NHL Network. “I have heard that he’s been working out.”
That of course would be positive news in its own right but Friedman wasn’t done there, hinting at the fact that the Canucks nightmare surrounding Demko may finally have come to an end
“I think there’s a lot of hope there that whatever they have been dealing with has been addressed,” said Friedman
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The insider stopped short of saying when we can expect to see Demko return in full force, but it sounds like it’s not very far off at all
“People are like ‘We’re not gonna put a timeline on it’ but he is skating and there is a lot of hope that this will work out as desired,” concluded Friedman
Only time will tell if those predictions will hold true this time around
