VANCOUVER -- Thatcher Demko will return for the Vancouver Canucks as the backup when they play the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday (10 p.m. ET; SNP, FDSNOH).
The 28-year-old goaltender, who rejoined team practices almost three weeks ago, has been out since recovering from a knee injury he sustained late last season. He had his own net at practice in Vancouver on Thursday.
“Yeah, obviously been looking forward to it for a while now but I've told you guys plenty of times I'm a guy that is pretty day-to-day,” Demko said Thursday. “Obviously, I'm looking at the schedule and I'm in a position now to kind of look down the road and see what's ahead. So, it's been good.”
Demko will back up Kevin Lankinen when the Canucks open a six-game homestand on Friday, but could start against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday.
"We have a practice tomorrow," Canucks coach Rick Tocchet said Friday. "I'll talk to 'Demmer' after practice and we'll go from there. If it's the next game or the next game after that, we're not quite sure. I'm gonna talk to Demmer but I definitely want to get a good practice tomorrow then talk to Demmer about it.”
Thursday was just the third time that Demko had spoken to the media since last season, which ended early for him after sustaining the injury to his knee late in Game 1 of the Western Conference First Round against the Nashville Predators on April 21. That was just his third game back after missing 5 1/2 weeks with a different left knee injury he sustained late in the regular season.
Although Demko resumed skating while the Canucks played the Edmonton Oilers in the second round and said at the time that he expected to return for the Western Conference Final if the Canucks had not lost in seven games to the Oilers, he still hasn't played a game in 6 1/2 months.
Demko said he has, though, learned a lot about his body and how to manage his health when he does return.
“I've definitely learned a lot anatomically,” he said. “Sometimes that's a little torturous when you know a little too much maybe about the body and trying to perfect routines and things like that. But coming back from different injuries over the years, you kind of learn about things and I definitely think that there's some things that I can kind of tweak here and there, just preparationally and workload wise, not necessarily playing games. … whether it be practice days or goalie ice, things like that you can kind of tweak and manage yourself a little bit better.”
Demko was a finalist for the Vezina Trophy as the League’s top goalie last season, finishing second to Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg Jets after setting NHL career highs in wins (35), shutouts (five) and save percentage (.918) despite being limited to 51 games because of his first knee injury on March 9.
Lankinen, who signed with the Canucks as a free agent after training camp started, is 12-3-3, including having won an NHL record 10-straight road games to open the season, with a .906 save percentage.
That’s made it easier for Demko not to rush back..
“First of all, I want to give ‘Lanks’ all the credit in the world, he's been unbelievable,” Demko said. “For me, I'm managing my expectations a little bit. I think it'd be foolish to say that I'm going to come back and be perfectly sharp and feel like I have my A-game in Game One. That takes a little bit of time just seeing game reps and things is kind of a last step of fully doing rehab, so I'm not really putting an expectation on that. Obviously, the way ‘Lanks’ has played kind of takes a little bit of pressure off myself to come in and not feel like I have to save the world.”
