Vancouver Canucks thicken the plot with curious update on Thatcher Demko's injury
It was a moment that made you feel like this Vancouver Canucks season could slip away.
As the second period started during the Canucks game versus the Winnipeg Jets, Kevin Lankinen appeared in net instead of Thatcher Demko.
Moments later, the Canucks announced that Demko would not return to the game.
Demko appeared to be in pain late in the first period, and those concerns proved to be legitimate.
Thatcher Demko shown stretching out on the broadcast in between whistles.
Tonight is his first game back after not dressing in the back-to-back over the weekend. #Canucks pic.twitter.com/BwHsOaSbrr
— Noah Strang (@noahstrang_) November 12, 2025
“Yeah, it was lower body,” Adam Foote said when asked about Demko’s health. “We’ll find out more tomorrow.”
After Foote’s press conference following a 5-3 loss to the Jets, a Canucks spokesperson said that Demko’s injury was unrelated to the “maintenance” days he took off last week.
Wait, didn’t Foote say it wasn’t a maintenance day?
Regardless, it looks like Demko’s resurgent season has hit the most unfortunate of snags. He came into this game with a 5-4 record and a .911 save percentage, although that took a hit when he allowed three goals on eight shots in this game.
Lankinen was solid in relief for the Canucks tonight, stopping 20 of 21 shots in the loss. But clearly, he’s no Demko.
“It’s tough, he’s a battler,” Jake DeBrusk said postgame. “Obviously, a huge part of this team… You just hope he gets back or he’s okay.”
Demko wasn’t the only one battling tonight. Quinn Hughes left the game clutching his arm in the second period after getting tangled up with Mark Scheifele.
Quinn Hughes has left the game after being injured on this play. pic.twitter.com/yFucd8q2z4
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) November 12, 2025
The Canucks captain stayed down for more than two minutes while being attended to by the training staff. A return didn’t look promising.
Then, Hughes emphatically returned right as a Canucks power play started later in the period. He only missed one shift.
“I saw that we were [on the power play], they said it on the radio,” Hughes said postgame. “They were taping me up, then I heard that, so it was just good timing.”
Hughes has another stellar night, assisting on all three Canucks goals.
And while Demko’s absence looms large, the fact that Hughes returned brightened what could have been a very, very dark night.
Even with the barrage of injuries, the Canucks know that their current level of play needs to go up a notch if they’re going to move up from their current spot of 28th overall in the NHL standings.
“You can’t control injuries, but you can control how you play and also how you defend,” DeBrusk said.
“We can make it a little easier on ourselves sometimes, especially against good teams. You give them a lead like that, they can just sit back and they know what to do.”
“You want to be known as a resilient team, but injuries happen to everybody. Obviously, we’ve been hit with a lot, but there’s still a game to be played.”