"At least four teams" have called Canucks about trading for Demko: report
Thatcher Demko could be next.
“At least four teams” have called to inquire about Demko, with the Vancouver Canucks keeping an open line and open mind about moving the injured netminder, according to ESPN’s Emily Kaplan.
“Per sources, at least four teams have called Vancouver asking about Demko’s availability — and the Canucks haven’t said no to any of those teams. If Vancouver is serious about a rebuild, it could get a lot of assets for Demko, who is just 27 and under contract for three more years on a team-friendly $5 million per season,” Kaplan wrote in a column Tuesday.
Demko is 3-10-2 with a 3.93 goals-against average and a .883 save percentage in 15 starts this season. He has not played since December 1 when he was injured, making a save against the Florida Panthers in a 5-1 loss.
He returned to practice Tuesday at Madison Square Gardens in New York City.
The 27-year-old signed a five-year, $25 million contract with Vancouver on March 31, 2021. He has no trade protection.
“I’ve heard from people around that are close to it that Demko doesn’t want to be here,” TSN’s Farhan Lalji said on The Athletic’s VANcast last week. “There’s conversation in the background that Demko isn’t enamoured with the market, the scrutiny, the organization. Pick it, it’s all of it.”
Elliotte Freidman of Sportsnet said in late January that the Canucks could “put a ton of players out there” on the trade market, including Demko, Brock Boeser, and Tyler Myers.
The report came days before Vancouver dealt captain Bo Horvat to the New York Islanders in exchange for forward Anthony Beauvillier, prospect Aatu Räty, and a first-round draft pick in the 2023 NHL Draft.
The Canucks are sixth in the Pacific Division with a 20-26-4 record for 44 points and a .440 points percentage. They trail the Calgary Flames by 14 points for fifth place in the Pacific and the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference.
In 151 career games with Vancouver, Demko is 70-63-13 with a 2.94 goals-against average and a .909 save percentage.
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