Demko’s injury not a knee issue this time for Vancouver Canucks goalie: report
Thatcher Demko is injured again.
It has been a long and winding road for the Vancouver Canucks goaltender, as he seemingly can’t stay healthy for long. Demko started Tuesday night’s game against the Winnipeg Jets after being out of the lineup for just over a week. The hope was that he could pick up where he left off after a fantastic start to the season. Yet, he lasted just a single period as he was forced to leave the game with another injury.
The 29-year-old California native has an extensive history of knee issues, but early reports are that this problem is unrelated. CHEK TV’s Rick Dhaliwal reported that Demko is now suffering from a groin injury.
“Early word, it sounds like it’s a groin injury for Demko,” Dhaliwal reported.
Early word, it sounds like it's a groin injury for Demko.
— Rick Dhaliwal (@DhaliwalSports) November 12, 2025
Demko has been sidelined with knee and back injuries over the last few seasons. It appears he suffered a groin injury while making a sliding save in the first period.
It’s obviously bad news for both Demko and the Canucks as this represents another injury risk to worry about. However, it doesn’t appear to be the worst-case scenario, as NHL insider Frank Seravalli reported on Wednesday morning that this is not expected to be a long-term issue.
“Early indication is that Demko is expected to miss 2-3 weeks with a minor injury,” Seravalli shared on social media.
Some (relatively) positive news for #Canucks on Thatcher Demko this morning. Early indication is that Demko is expected to miss 2-3 weeks with a minor injury.
It’s unrelated to his previous knee injury and unrelated to why Demko took maintenance days last week.
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) November 12, 2025
That could put Demko in line to return in the first week of December, meaning he could miss the next nine to 10 games, and maybe more, on the Canucks schedule. This includes a rough stretch next week when Vancouver is set to play the Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers on back-to-back nights in the Sunshine State.
Backup Kevin Lankinen will be leaned on heavily as the team awaits Demko to get healthy once again.
The last few seasons have been extremely frustrating for Demko, as he has shown signs of getting back to those Vezina-calibre levels. However, as soon as he hits a stride, he is struck down with an injury.
Canucks fans will be hoping that this is the last setback for a while for their superstar goalie.