During his five years with the Pittsburgh Penguins, DeSmith wore #1, but out of respect for Roberto Luongo, he's decided against wearing the number with the Vancouver Canucks.
Instead, DeSmith, who grew up a fan of the Montreal Canadiens, will wear number 29 to honour Hall of Famer Ken Dryden, who's arguably one of the best goaltenders to strap on the pads.
DeSmith, 32, has one year remaining on his contract and will have some stiff competition in training camp as he looks to win the backup role behind Thatcher Demko. Latvian goaltender Arturs Silovs is coming off a MVP performance at the 2023 IIHF World Hockey Championship and appears ready to make the team on a full-time basis.
Meanwhile, there's also Spencer Martin, who in recent days has been linked to the Colorado Avalanche given their injury situation between the pipes. Martin appeared in 29 games for the Canucks last season, where he sported a record of 11-15-1.
