Canucks coach Tocchet gives injury update on Demko and Lindholm
The Vancouver Canucks have run into a bit of an injury bug.
Most notably, star goalie Thatcher Demko is still not skating after hurting himself in a game against the Winnipeg Jets. He was retroactively placed on long-term injury reserve (LTIR) this morning, meaning the earliest he can return is April 6.
“That’s just cap-related, so we can get some cap relief, that’s all it is,” said Rick Tocchet after practice about the roster move. The team used the extra cap space to recall Arshdeep Bains.
Demko is still considered week-to-week, according to the head coach.
The move to LTIR means that there is a maximum of six eligible games that Demko can play this season. Despite that, there is no concern the six games won’t be enough time for the goalie to get ready before the postseason, per Tocchet.
“He’s going to play two or three games and then get ready for the playoffs,” saidĀ CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal today on theĀ Donnie & Dhali Show.Ā “Nothing to fear on Demko. He can’t play until April 6 and after that they’ll figure it out … that’s positive, Demko is going to be fine. Don’t worry about Demko, he’ll be ready for the playoffs.”
The Jack Adams candidate also provided an update on forward Elias Lindholm. The Swedish centreman did not play last game as he continues to fight through an injury.
“I’m not really concerned. I think it’s just something a little nagging that’s getting better every day,” explained Tocchet after practice on Wednesday.
“No, not from the best of my knowledge I would say no,” responded the head coach when asked if he was nervous that further tests might reveal a more serious injury.
Tocchet also said that there is currently “no timeline” for Lindholm’s return.
“They’re still trying to figure it out,” said Dhaliwal in his report today. “Just hearing a lot of uncertainty with Lindholm.”
The Canucks did get one player back from injury today, as Dakota Joshua was a full participant in practice. The winger was skating on the team’s top line, but it’s still not clear if he will be playing tomorrow night.
āIām going to sleep on it with him, but we talked about it today a bit, so weāll wait 24 hours to decide if he plays tomorrow or not,ā explained Tocchet.
The Canucks are facing off against the Dallas Stars in a battle of two of the Western Conference’s best teams. They have just 10 games left until the playoffs begin.
“It’s go time — 10 games left. There’s some details that you have to do most of the time now.Ā This is not November hockey,” said the head coach today.
Tocchet stopped today’s practice halfway through and delivered a passionate speech to the players, filled with expletives, in front of the whiteboard. He seemed to get the response he was looking for and looked content when asked about what happened.
“I think a few guys weren’t ready. We had a day off, you’ve got to be ready to go. There’s 10 games left and they picked it up after that. That’s all, no big deal,” he said about the situation.
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