The Vancouver Canucks look to have solidified their goaltending situation for Tuesday’s season opener against the Edmonton Oilers.

Thatcher Demko will begin the season on injured reserve; Kevin Lankinen will likely start, with recent waiver claim Leevi Meriläinen serving as his backup. Nikita Tolopilo has cleared waivers and will report to AHL Abbotsford, leaving Chris Driedger’s status on a professional tryout contract in limbo.

According to Donnie & Dhali’s Rick Dhaliwal, the Vancouver Canucks have released goaltender Chris Driedger from his PTO.

Driedger, 32, signed a professional tryout contract with the Canucks at the end of August, after spending the 2025-26 season with Traktor Chelyabinsk of the KHL. In Russia, Driedger posted an 8-9-2 record, with a 3.05 goals against average and an .897 save percentage, with one shutout in 23 games played.

Throughout the preseason, Driedger suited up in just one of the Canucks’ four preseason games, Thursday against the Edmonton Oilers. He served as the backup to Nikita Tolopilo, who played the first two periods. Driedger played just the third period, stopping all seven shots he faced.

The Winnipeg, Manitoba native has played 67 career NHL games throughout his seven-year NHL career. He played one game in the 2014-15, 2015-16, and 2016-17 seasons for the Ottawa Senators before finally getting an extended run as the backup goaltender for the Florida Panthers in 2019-20 and 2020-21.

Driedger played his best hockey in Florida. Throughout his two seasons, the 6’4″ netminder finished with a 21-8-4 record, with a 2.06 goals against average and a .933 save percentage. These efforts earned him a respectable contract with the Seattle Kraken, inking a three-year, $3.5 million average annual value contract in 2021.

Injuries kept Driedger from living up to that contract, as he played just 29 NHL games for the Kraken but finished with solid numbers: a 10-15-1 record, a 2.93 goals-against average, a .900 save percentage, and one shutout.

Now released from his PTO with the Canucks, Driedger is free to pursue other jobs around the league in hopes of revitalizing his NHL career.