The insider said on the podcast that he thinks the Vancouver Canucks told Demko they needed to see that he was ready to handle the rigors of NHL playoffs by suiting up at the end of the season.
Demko had missed more than a month of action before coming back to finish the last two games of the season with the Canucks and winning Game 1 of Round 1 against Nashville, but since then he has been unavailable due to a knee injury.
Friedman goes on to say that he understands that position from the Canucks, but thinks it created a situation where Demko came back too early and was reinjured.
While it's still unclear when his return will be, or what treatment the goalie has undergone this offseason, Friedman said the Canucks aren't concerned they'll miss Demko for half the season - even though his status for opening night appears doubtful.
Source: 32 Thoughts The Podcast - Offseason Thoughts For All 32 Teams
POLL | ||
6 SEPTEMBRE | 273 ANSWERS Thatcher Demko rushed back to action, Resulting in a never-ending injury? Do you think the Canucks brought Demko back too early? | ||
Yes, his health is more important | 154 | 56.4 % |
No, it was his call to come back | 119 | 43.6 % |
List of polls |