The Canucks are recalling Jiří Patera from the AHL in Lankinen's absence.
Only a day after the Vancouver Canucks made a swap at goaltending, the team has made yet another one as Kevin Lankinen will be missing their upcoming road trip due to personal matters. After he was re-assigned to the Abbotsford Canucks yesterday, Jiří Patera has been recalled to the Canucks under emergency conditions and will join Nikita Tolopilo on Vancouver's road trip.
Just yesterday, the Canucks sent Patera back down to the AHL and brought up Tolopilo, who returned from an injury absence of nearly a month last Friday. Tolopilo has only played in five games this season for Abbotsford, putting up a .901 SV% and 3.35 GAA. He made his NHL debut last April, securing a win in his first ever NHL start.
Prior to being re-assigned yesterday, Patera had spent the past couple of weeks with the Canucks due to the absence of goaltender Thatcher Demko. Demko, who had started the majority of Vancouver's games in the 2025-26 season prior to sustaining an injury, is expected to travel with the team on their four-game road trip. However, it is currently unknown if he will end up playing in any of these four games.
With Lankinen out for an unforeseeable amount of time, the Canucks' crease falls to Tolopilo and Patera. It's likely that one or both goaltenders will see some playing time within the next couple of days, as the Canucks' matches against the San Jose Sharks and Los Angeles Kings occur back-to-back.
Vancouver's first game of this four-game road trip takes place on Wednesday, with the team taking on the Anaheim Ducks in their first of the California road trip swing. After their match against the Kings on Saturday, they'll travel to Denver to face the Colorado Avalanche before returning to Vancouver.
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