Coming off a difficult year, the new management group of the Vancouver Canucks have many things to consider. Who will they draft? What is the organizational goal for next season? What additions and subtractions need to be made in the offseason? Today, we will look at the goaltending and how the Canucks could handle the situation when the 2026-27 season comes around.
Why The Canucks Should Play Three Goalies Next Season
Credit Image: © Alex Cave/ZUMA Press Wire
Let us start by discussing the goalies who played in this past NHL season, as well as their contract situations.
The Current Goaltending Situation in Vancouver
Thatcher Demko is Vancouver’s supposed starter, but injuries have hampered his playing time immensely. Since the 2022-23 NHL Season, Demko has been sidelined with injury on eight different occasions. However, Demko believes that his recent hip surgery has solved all of his previous issues. “The last two years, I was playing with zero degree of internal rotation in the hip,” said Demko at his year-end player availability. As a result, the back, the knees, and the groin were subject to extra strain, leading to injuries to those areas. Demko has only played 43 games in the last two seasons.
Demko’s new contract is set to kick in at the start of the 2026-27 season, with an $8.5 million salary cap hit until 2029. He will have a no-movement clause for all three years of the contract. The increase from $5 million is not too much of a substantial increase, but it is a bet that Demko can eventually return to his Vezina Trophy finalist form from 2024. Demko is determined that he can return to his elite self, but he’ll need to prove it throughout the course of an entire season.
Please enjoy a mini Thatcher Demko mixtape of his last five periods since returning. ⬇️
He's lookin' pretty, pretty good so far…
📺: @Sportsnet or stream on Sportsnet+ ➡️ https://t.co/4KjbdjVctF pic.twitter.com/034lccdfrU
— NHL (@NHL) March 27, 2025
Next up is Kevin Lankinen, who assumed the starter’s net for the last two seasons due to Demko’s continued injury woes. In 2024-25, he had a decent campaign, with a 25-15-10 record, 2.62 goals-against average, and a .902 save percentage. He was excellent in the first half of the season before declining in the second half. The overall solid season prompted Canucks management to extend him to a five-year contract worth $4.5 million per year, which would run until 2030. The 2025-26 season was tumultuous for not only Lankinen but the whole team. His numbers took a nosedive, with just 11 wins, a 3.70 goals against average, and an .875 save percentage.
Lankinen can be a good goalie, but he should not be playing in a starter’s role. He functions best when he has ample rest, which he has not gotten in his time with the team.
KEVIN LANKINEN WITH A SAVE OF THE YEAR CANDIDATE 😱❌
HAGEL COULDN'T BELIEVE IT 😭 pic.twitter.com/ig4J7L5Gr1
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) March 20, 2026
Nikita Tolopilo was pushed into a backup role during the 2025-26 season, playing in 21 games. He proved that he could be a solid backup, often keeping the team in games. His contract, worth $850,000, will end at the conclusion of the 2026-27 season. Most notably, the Canucks will not have the flexibility to send Tolopilo to the AHL without waivers this season. They can ill-afford to lose another goaltender as they did with Arturs Silovs, so Tolopilo should be playing in the NHL this upcoming season.
Nikita Tolopilo denies Auston Matthews on the OT penalty shot 😱 pic.twitter.com/EdeY05pOBZ
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) February 1, 2026
What a Three-Goalie Rotation Could Look Like and Why it Could Be Beneficial
Three-goalie rotations are not the norm in today’s NHL, but for the Canucks, some unorthodox thinking could garner some love for the new management. Given Demko’s history, easing him back into the team, with a 35-40 game slate, could be the way to go, followed by Lankinen with 30 games, and Tolopilo with around 15-20 games. Of course, the Canucks can only dress two goalies in a given game, but someone like Tolopilo would also benefit from a full season of NHL practices. Additionally, should a goaltender get injured at any point in the season, no roster moves would have to be made.
The Canucks have nothing to lose when it comes to next season, because it is all about development, not wins. Demko’s health could be very important if the team gets competitive in the next few years, or if the Canucks opt to trade him before his contract expires. The same goes for Lankinen and even Tolopilo. Some experimental thinking could go a long way, so why not think outside the box a little?
Main Photo Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
