The Vancouver Canucks announced this morning that they have signed goaltender Thatcher Demko to a three-year contract extension worth $8.5 million average annual value (AAV). He is heading into the final year of a five-year contract he signed in 2021, worth $5 million AAV, and would have been an unrestricted free agent (UFA) next offseason.
Demko dealt with a few injuries last season, including a rare popliteus muscle tear in the offseason, which restricted him to 23 games. He finished with a 10-8-3 record alongside a 2.90 goals-against average (GAA), .889 save percentage (SV%) and one shutout. In 242 career games with the Canucks, the 36th overall pick in the 2014 Draft has a 2.80 GAA, .910 SV% and nine shutouts. He was a finalist for the Vezina Trophy in 2023-24.
Related: 2025 NHL Free Agency Tracker
Starting next season, the Canucks will have a goalie tandem worth $13 million AAV as they signed Kevin Lankinen to a five-year extension last season. With Demko signing his three-year extension, they could potentially have this duo in place for the next four seasons. Beyond them, they have Arturs Silovs, who just won the AHL Playoffs MVP award and the Calder Cup, and is signed for only one more year. As a result of this extension, they are expected to shop him in the trade market for help in their forward group.
It remains to be seen if Demko can stay healthy throughout this new contract, but even if he can’t, they still have Lankinen ready and capable of stepping in as the starter for a while. He had a solid season in 2024-25, posting a 2.62 GAA, .902 SV%, and four shutouts in a career-high 51 appearances. The Canucks hope they both can stay healthy; if that happens, they could potentially have one of the best tandems in the league, harkening back to the Bruins’ elite duo of Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman.
