Canucks' Thatcher Demko Must Learn To Play Through Injury
On the 32 Thoughts Podcast, Elliotte Friedman revealed that Vancouver Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko won't fully recover from his injury.
Bob Frid-USA TODAY Sports - Canucks' Thatcher Demko Must Learn To Play Through InjuryOn the 32 Thoughts Podcast, Elliotte Friedman revealed that Vancouver Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko won't fully recover from his injury.
Friedman admitted that there is still a ton of mystery surrounding the Canucks No. 1 goalie. Nobody truly knows what is happening, and Friedman says he's heard many timelines, and none is the same.
Demko's injury isn't fixable via surgery, so he will have to learn to play through it.
"The best piece of information I have been given is quite simply, he's going to have to learn to play with this," Friedman said.
Friedman believes that Demko was never fully healthy heading into the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs and that Vancouver possibly rushed him back. The Canucks pushed hard to see if Demko was ready to contribute in the postseason, but in the process, caused Demko not to allow time to heal his injury fully.
"One of the things I do think is going to happen as a result of that decision is they are going to change the way Demko practices," Friedman said. "I think also what the Canucks have looked at is [Ian] Clark is a drill guy... I think they feel that has come at a cost. That is, I think, the change they get to this year. How much he goes on the ice and how much he will practice."
Demko's injury history isn't a secret, but when he's healthy, he is one of the best goaltenders in the NHL. Arturs Silovs was solid as a backup, but Demko can carry the Canucks on any given night.
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