Vancouver Canucks General Manager Patrik Allvin announced that the organization has activated goaltender Thatcher Demko off the injured reserve ahead of Thursday night’s contest against the New Jersey Devils.

Demko has been out of the Canucks lineup for over six weeks (44 days) after sustaining a lower-body injury in the final game before the 4 Nations Face-off break against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Before the injury, Demko stopped all six shots in the 10 minutes he played.

Before his latest injury, Demko had started to find his game again. Over a four-game stretch, Demko had a 3-1 record, stopping 100 of 105 shots faced, finishing with a 1.28 goals against average, a .932 save percentage and one 25-save shutout against the Colorado Avalanche.

The American netminder has been battling injuries throughout the entire season. Demko didn’t make his season debut until December 10 in a losing effort in overtime against the St. Louis Blues. Due to trying to re-find his game and playing with a lasting popliteus injury sustained in the opening game of the 2024 playoff run, Demko has a 6-6-3 record on the year, 2.87 goals against average and a .891 save percentage with the one shutout.

Kevin Lankinen has been carrying the workload for the Canucks in Demko’s absence. During the 15 games without Demko, Lankinen started 12 of those games, stopping 255 of 288 shots he faced and finished with a 5-6-1 record, with a 2.75 goals against average and a .885 save percentage.

The Finnish netminder had a stretch of starting 10 of a possible 11 games, including a set of back-to-back games, with the latter being a four-point game against the Calgary Flames on the road. On top of this workload, Lankinen has not had much rest lately having participated and starting games for Team Finland at the 4 Nations Face-off.

Demko’s return could come as early as Monday night against the New Jersey Devils. With the Canucks currently five points out of a playoff spot, every point is crucial for the team and their playoff chances, but Demko looks to be returning at the time they need him the most.