Demko to have hip surgery, miss rest of season for Canucks oalie last played Jan. 10, expected to be ready for start of training camp

Thatcher Demko will have hip surgery and miss the remainder of the season for the Vancouver Canucks.

“After consulting with our team doctors and outside specialists, Thatcher Demko will be shut down for the rest of the year,” Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin said Tuesday. “Thatcher will undergo surgery next week for an injury unrelated to the one that kept him out of action last season. Following his rehab, he will be ready for the start of training camp in September.”

Demko hasn’t played since allowing three goals on six shots before getting replaced by Kevin Lankinen to start the second period of a 5-0 loss at the Toronto Maple Leafs on Jan. 10. Allvin said 10 days later that the Canucks were “taking opinions from other resources around the world to see what needs to be done.”

The 30-year-old had missed a month (Nov. 11-Dec. 11) because of another lower-body injury.

He’s 8-10-1 with a 2.91 goals-against average, .897 save percentage and one shutout in 20 games this season.

“It’s always tough news,” Canucks defenseman Tyler Myers said. “It’s definitely not what he was hoping for this season, but given our position right now, I think it’s a great time to take care of things and come in next year feeling good and that’s a big reason why I say in a lot of ways, I’m just happy for him to have that opportunity.”

Lankinen (7-16-4, 3.44 GAA, .884 save percentage in 28 games), named to Team Finland’s roster for the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, likely will take over as starter, with Nikita Tolopilo and Jiri Patera as backup options.

The Canucks (17-30-5) have lost 13 of 14 (1-11-2) and their 39 points are eight fewer than the 31st-ranked St. Louis Blues, They’ve been hit hard by injuries, most recently to forward Brock Boeser and defenseman Zeev Buium, each of whom was placed on injured reserve Monday after they were injured during a 3-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday. Coach Adam Foote said Tuesday that Buium could need surgery to repair a broken cheekbone and likely will be out until after the Olympic break. Their first game back is at home against the Winnipeg Jets on Feb. 25.

Derek Forbort could be out the rest of the season after the 33-year-old defenseman missed a 5-2 loss to the St. Louis Blues on Oct. 13 for what was supposed to be a maintenance day. Filip Chytil sustained a concussion during a 4-3 win at the Washington Capitals on Oct. 19, the center’s sixth game of the season; he was out until returning against the New Jersey Devils on Friday. Marco Rossi, a center acquired in the trade that sent defenseman Quinn Hughes to the Minnesota Wild on Dec. 12, might be sidelined through the Olympics because of a lower-body injury sustained during a 6-3 loss at the Philadelphia Flyers on Dec. 30, the start of an 11-game slide (0-9-2).

Demko signed a three-year, $25.5 million contract with the Canucks on July 1, 2025. He was a finalist for the 2024 Vezina Trophy, given to the top goalie in the NHL, after going 35-14-2 with a 2.45 GAA, .918 save percentage and five shutouts in 51 games to help Vancouver (50-23-9) win its first division title in 10 years. An undisclosed injury sidelined Demko for all but one game of the Canucks’ run to Game 7 of the Western Conference Second Round, a 3-2 loss to the Edmonton Oilers.

“You want ‘Demmer’ in the lineup, but I think it’s a good opportunity for him to get himself to 100 percent, come in ready next year, and he’s going to have the time that I think he hasn’t had in the past to do that,” Myers said. “So, in a lot of ways, I’m happy for him. I know it’s tough, but I’m excited for what’s going to come out of it.”

NHL.com independent correspondent Kevin Woodley contributed to this report