As Thatcher Demko’s injury troubles continue, Vancouver Canucks GM Patrik Allvin is continuing to get creative with roster moves in between the pipes.
On Saturday afternoon, the Canucks announced that goaltender Artūrs Šilovs has been sent down to the Abbotsford Canucks. In the same move, the team recalled netminder Nikita Tolopilo from the AHL affiliate on an emergency basis.
General Manager Patrik Allvin announced today that G Artūrs Šilovs has been assigned to Abbotsford (AHL) and G Nikita Tolopilo has been recalled from Abbotsford on emergency basis.
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) March 8, 2025
The move has provoked a wide range of speculation on the status of Kevin Lankinen, Demko, and the potential reasons for sending Šilovs down.
Abbotsford are currently chasing a playoff spot in the Pacific Division of the AHL’s Western Conference. They sit in sixth place, with the top seven from the 10-team division qualifying for the Calder Cup playoffs. Šilovs joins Abbotsford with 18 games remaining in their regular season, including some key matchups against division rivals.
Šilovs has been excellent in his 14 games played in the minors this season, with a 10-4-0 record and eight wins in his last nine games. However, he has struggled mightily in Vancouver, with only one win in eight games started, posting a 3.85 goals against average (GAA) and a .858 save percentage (SV%).
Meanwhile, Tolopilo has started about half of Abbotsford’s games this season, posting a 12-14-2 record in his second season with the group (he went 20-13-1 in his rookie year). The 24-year-old has yet to make his NHL debut but now sits on the roster with a chance at his first shot between the pipes over the next week. The Belarusian goaltender practiced with the team earlier Saturday at UBC.
the pinstripes are back. Tolopilo on the ice at UBC this morning #Canucks pic.twitter.com/ySVm5dyhy7
— Jeff Paterson (@patersonjeff) March 8, 2025
Demko was placed on injured reserve near the end of February and is currently considered week-to-week with a lower-body injury. After being last year’s go-to starter for Vancouver, he has now played only 17 of the team’s 62 contests, with a 6-6-3 record.
In his absence, Lankinen has carried the lion’s share of the workload, with a 22-10-7 record in a career-high 39 games played. The Finnish goaltender has a 2.52 GAA and .906 SV% and is tied for second in the league with four shutouts.
It has not yet been confirmed who will get the start when the Vancouver Canucks take on the Dallas Stars at home Sunday night. Šilovs will likely take the net for Abbotsford in Saturday night’s matchup against the San Jose Barracuda. The two previously met Friday night, with San Jose shutting the Canucks out 3-0.
