Canucks’ first offer on free agent goalie falls short: report
The Vancouver Canucks are looking to add another goalie to their organizational depth chart.
The team has made an official offer to free agent Kevin Lankinen, per CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal. However, it doesn’t seem like the proposed deal was good enough to get it over the finish line at this point.
“Canucks continue to pursue UFA goaltender Kevin Lankinen,” said Dhaliwal today in an update posted to social media. “The club has made Lankinen an offer but it’s not good enough to get a deal done right now.”
“But the pursuit of Lankinen continues.”
#Canucks goalie update pic.twitter.com/Q8CL3yAJLy
— Rick Dhaliwal (@DhaliwalSports) September 3, 2024
Lankinen has been connected to the Canucks for some time now as the team pursues another NHL-calibre goalie.
The 29-year-old put together a solid season for the Nashville Predators last season. He finished the year with an 11-6-0 record, a 2.82 goals-against-average, and a .908% save percentage.
The veteran has proven to be a capable backup at the top level and would provide the Canucks with extra goaltending depth.
While just a few days ago it seemed as if signing someone like Lankinen was a crucial priority for the Canucks, who faced the prospect of starting the year with both of their top two goalies injured, that no longer seems to be the case.
Dhaliwal reported today that Thatcher Demko is back on the ice and going through skating exercises. In addition, Arturs Silovs’ knee inflammation is not expected to be a serious ailment. This makes adding another goaltender less of a concern for the Canucks.