Vancouver Canucks Goaltending Tandem Receives Major Disrespect in Recent Rankings

In just over four weeks, the Vancouver Canucks will kick off the 2025-26 season on home ice with a goaltending tandem featuring Finnish netminder Kevin Lankinen, who played solid for the club last year, as well as a fully healthy Thatcher Demko.

With expectations sky high in Vancouver after missing out on the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Canucks have two very good options to turn to between the pipes on any given night and if Thatcher Demko is able to return to his Vezina Trophy finalist form, the team will have a great chance at not only making it back to the postseason, but potentially finishing in the top three in the Pacific Division.

While the Vancouver Canucks are confident in the goaltending tandem they have entering the season, Bleacher Report isn't and has given the duo a pretty poor ranking earlier this week.

Bleacher Report released an article earlier this week that ranked all 32 of the National Hockey League's goaltending tandems ahead of the 2025-26 campaign.

For the Vancouver Canucks, they come in at 21st on Bleacher Report's rankings, ahead of Utah, Edmonton, Florida, Nashville, Buffalo, Columbus, Seattle, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and San Jose.

Joe Yerdon of Bleacher Report, put the duo at 21st in part do to the health struggles of Thatcher Demko last season and if one of them goes down, the organization will have to turn to Jiri Patera because they dealt Arturs Silovs to the Pittsburgh Penguins earlier this summer.

If Kevin Lankinen and Thatcher Demko are able to stay healthy all season long, they'll be able to prove to the league that they're not the 21st-ranked tandem in hockey, but have the ability to be in the top-ten and it wouldn't be a shock to see either of them inside the top-15 in both goals against average (GAA) and save percentage (SV%) by seasons end.

Source: Joe Yerdon/Bleacher Report
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