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Milestone watch: Health will determine Demko’s ability to rise through Canucks all-time goaltending ranks next season

Photo credit: © Bob Frid-Imagn Images

By Jeff Paterson

Jul 10, 2026, 17:00 EDTUpdated: Jul 10, 2026, 16:11 EDT

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In his decade-plus in the Vancouver Canucks organization, Thatcher Demko has posted 134 National Hockey League victories. However, just 18 of them have come over the past two injury-plagued seasons in which he has appeared in 23 and 20 games, respectively.

Despite all those months on the shelf, Demko continued to climb the franchise record book for wins by a goaltender – even if progress wasn’t as swift as he would have liked it to be. The San Diego native has worked his way into third on the team’s all-time wins list behind only franchise icons Kirk McLean (211) and Roberto Luongo (252).

With 262, Demko sits fourth on the all-time games played list behind McLean (516), Luongo (448) and Richard Brodeur (377).

With the sizable gap in appearances, there really isn’t a way for Demko to ascend those lists next season. He’s locked in his spots for the time being, and only a long stretch of good health will allow him to creep closer to the franchise icons ahead of him.

Demko is fourth in franchise history in shots faced, saves, goals against and minutes logged. And it will be seasons before he has a chance to move up in those rankings.

Mike Commito

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On this day in 2014, the @Canucks drafted Thatcher Demko 36th overall #Hockey365 #Canucks

3:30 PM · Jun 28, 2026

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One category he can make headway next season is in shutouts. Demko has posted 10 over the course of his career, including a 23-save blanking of the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden last December. Demko is currently tied for fifth in franchise history with Ryan Miller. His next shutout will match Gary Smith, and he needs four more shutouts to pull into a tie with Dan Cloutier (14) for third on the list. You know the names that hold down the top two spots – Luongo with 38 and McLean with 20.

Any mention of Demko’s career is not complete without an examination of his playoff record. And it remains one of the great shames that for all the individual accolades – all star appearances, Vezina votes and a spot among the best in the game at his position when fully healthy – Demko has made just four Stanley Cup Playoff starts and only one outside the 2020 bubble (Game 1 vs Nashville in 2024). And yet, in those games, he is a remarkable 3-1 with a 0.97 GAA, a .974 save percentage, and a shutout. In those rare opportunities to perform at the highest level, Demko has been extraordinary. But between his health and the overall trajectory of the team over the past decade, he simply hasn’t had the opportunity to shine on the biggest stage.

The question now is: given that he’s 30 years old and the team is in the early stages of a rebuild, will Thatcher Demko have the chance to bolster his playoff resume in Vancouver?

At this stage, that feels like the only thing left for him to prove. But he’ll need a lot to go his way, both on a personal level and in the organization’s trajectory, for that to be a possibility any time soon.