A preview of Canucks goaltender Thatcher Demko's 2026-27 season.
Welcome to The Hockey News - Vancouver Canucks site’s 2026–27 player preview article series. This series will outline the expectations for every player projected to play for the Canucks during the 2026–27 season. Today’s player is Canucks goaltender Thatcher Demko.
Demko’s 2025–26 Season
Demko is one of a few players who will be very heavily scrutinized heading into the 2026–27 season. After playing in only 23 games during the 2024–25 season. Demko entered the 2025–26 season with the hope of playing out a full season healthy. While things looked positive during the first month of the year, by early November, Demko ended up missing games for ‘maintenance’ before injuries pushed him into a month-long absence.
In December, Demko ended up having his most dominant stretch of the season, winning three straight and putting up a 150:53-minute shutout streak against the New Jersey Devils, New York Rangers, and New York Islanders. Less than a month after, however, he departed from his team’s January 10 game against the Toronto Maple Leafs and did not return for the remainder of the season. He finished the year with a 2.90 GAA and .897 SV%.
Demko’s absence through the rest of the 2025–26 season was due to a hip procedure he ended up undergoing, the likes of which he has since begun rehabbing from. The goaltender was first spotted skating near the end of June and has since made more appearances on ice sheets across the Lower Mainland.
Demko’s 2025–26 Letter Grade
The Hockey News - Canucks site gave Demko a C for his 2025–26 season. While he did have a strong stint in mid-December, the goaltender ultimately ended up missing most of the season and having a couple of rocky stretches followed by injury absences. Whether he is able to improve on this grade or not will depend on the amount of games he ends up playing in.
Demko’s 2026–27 Predictions
If Demko’s hip procedure works the way he believes it will, the goaltender will end up playing in many more games than he has through the past two seasons. In the event that he regains possession of the starter’s crease, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see some vintage performances from the former Vezina Trophy runner-up. Though, given Vancouver’s status as a rebuilding team, the scoreboard may not necessarily reflect this.
There is, of course, the potential that the surgery doesn’t go the way Demko wants it to. Even if he ends up playing in around 20 to 30 games, there are still capable goaltenders waiting in the Canucks’ wings in Kevin Lankinen and Nikita Tolopilo.
When healthy, Demko can be one of the best goaltenders in the NHL. He’s proven himself as such in small stretches not hampered by injuries. At the end of the day, the same question surrounding Demko will follow him into the 2026–27 season — can he stay healthy enough to play in more than 25 games?
Bold prediction: If he plays in more than 25 games, Demko will finish the season with a SV% of .920 or higher.
Jan 2, 2026; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko (35) handles the puck against the Seattle Kraken in the first period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn ImagesCanucks 2026–27 Player Previews:
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