Thatcher Demko hasn't played since Game 1 of the Vancouver Canucks first-round playoff series against the Nashville Predators.
Thatcher Demko hasn't played since Game 1 of the Vancouver Canucks first-round playoff series against the Nashville Predators.
Thatcher Demko kicked off his 2024 Training Camp, addressing the injury he is currently working his way back from. Demko has not played since Game 1 of the Vancouver Canucks first-round playoff series against the Nashville Predators, as he has been dealing with a muscle injury. While Demko was on the ice on the first day of Training Camp, he was working on his own with Canucks goaltender coach Marko Torenius.
To say this is a unique injury may be an understatement. According to Demko, "There's not one case that we can find goaltender hockey players in general." Demko went on to say that there have been cases in soccer players, but even those are rare. Demko also joked, saying, "I guess I'm leading the charge for the next guy that has something like this happen to help him out."
During the media availability, Demko also addressed whether he would have been ready if the Canucks had advanced to the third round of the playoffs. Demko said," I think looking back as a competitor, I think you kind of lie to yourself in the playoff situation. I thought maybe I was a little bit farther ahead than I was. In hindsight, I do think that I would have been in a situation where I probably would have been able to penetrate through it and maybe get out there and play in the conference final there."
As for a timeline for his return, Demko did not give an exact date but said he is "The most confident that I've been in the rehab process up to date." As of right now, he is not projected to participate in the group practices at Training Camp and could miss the preseason as well. The hope is that he will be ready for the Home Opener on October 9, but as mentioned, Demko was unable to give a specific return date.
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The last interesting note Demko touched on was the shuffling of Vancouver's goaltending department this offseason. Ian Clark is now part of the scouting department, while Torenius takes over as the team's new goaltending coach. When asked, Demko said, "It was a tricky situation this summer. A little bit delicate at times, and I wasn't really too sure what was going on. I had heard rumblings about maybe a change being made. So, yeah, I mean, it's, it's a relationship that Ian and I have cultivated over the years, and it's obviously an important one to me. We obviously have a ton of respect for one another. He's not completely out of the picture. We're still keeping in touch, and I'm sure he'll be involved in the rehab process, maybe from a distance, but involved nonetheless."
Demko also said about Torenius, "When we were made aware about the change being made, Marcos made a great effort to get to know me, and likewise. We've had a great few weeks here, getting to know each other. Now that I'm kind of back on the ice, in more of an aggressive capacity, he's been much more involved, and it's been fantastic so far."
