Goalie Kevin Lankinen's Position With the Vancouver Canucks Takes an Unforeseen Turn
Photo credit: NHL
Vancouver Canucks goaltender Kevin Lankinen is likely set for a reduced role heading into the 2025-26 season with Thatcher Demko back at full health and ready to go.
Heading into training camp last summer, Thatcher Demko was still not ready to return from a lower-body injury sustained during the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, which required Patrik Allvin to dip into the free agent market and sign Finnish netminder Kevin Lankinen.
Lankinen played quite well during his first season as a Vancouver Canucks and not only earned himself a spot on Finland's roster for the 4 Nations Faceoff, but also landed a five-year extension worth $4.5 million US annually.
This year ahead of training camp, things are quite the opposite of 2024 because, as far as we know, everyone is at 100 percent health, including Lankinen's goaltending partner Thatcher Demko, which means the 30-year-old Finn will likely see less of the crease starting this fall.
Kevin Lankinen likely set for reduced role with Thatcher Demko back at full health
Paying $4.5 million per season for the next five years for a backup netminder certainly isn't ideal, but on the other hand, having two strong goaltending options that are capable of being in a starting role isn't a bad idea, especially later in the season, and hopefully, the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
However regardless of how much he's being paid or how well he performed for the club last season, the odds of Kevin Lankinen taking over the starting role from Thatcher Demko are very, very slim.
With that said, does that mean Lankinen is going to be the full-time backup and appear in maybe 25-30 games or will the Canucks decide to split the duties and go with a 1A/1B tandem where each netminder starts 40 games a piece?
Well, that's going to depend on the status of both goaltender, but Lachlan Irvine of Canucks Army recently shared what he believes a successful 2025-26 campaign would look like for Kevin Lankinen and aside from going above and beyond to take over the starting role, which would be exceeding expectations, he says he could be a perfect 1B for the club.
"Lankinen plays the 1B role to a tee; well enough to win a fair number of games for the Canucks, but not spectacularly enough to usurp Demko's spot as the number one goalie come playoff time. By all accounts, this is the most likely scenario out of all three, especially if everything goes the way the Canucks are expecting them to. Lankinen's own expectations are going to be higher, especially so soon after signing that five-year contract." Irvine said.
The health of Thatcher Demko is going to be key for the Vancouver Canucks this season, but if an issue arises and he's out for a long period of time, then Adam Foote and the team's coaching staff can sleep a little easier at night knowing they have Kevin Lankinen to rely on.
Source: Canucks Army/Lachlan Irvine
Canucks: What does a successful 2025-26 look like for Kevin Lankinen?
Canucks: What does a successful 2025-26 look like for Kevin Lankinen?
Previously on CanucksDaily
| POLL | ||
AOUT 18 | 1679 ANSWERS Goalie Kevin Lankinen's Position With the Vancouver Canucks Takes an Unforeseen Turn Who do you think will start more games for the Vancouver Canucks this season? | ||
| Thatcher Demko | 1148 | 68.4 % |
| Kevin Lankinen | 531 | 31.6 % |
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