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Vancouver Canucks' Jim Rutherford not convinced they will re-sign goalie Thatcher Demko
Photo credit: Bob Frid - USA TODAY Sports
The Vancouver Canucks appear to be willing to sign goaltending Thatcher Demko to an extension when he becomes eligible on July 1st.
There's no question that it was a tough year for Vancouver Canucks goaltender Thatcher Demko due to injuries and after the signing of Kevin Lankinen to a long-term deal, many were curious what that meant for the future of their start netminder.
Despite Kevin Lankinen's extension, Thatcher Demko says he's committed to the team and loves being a Vancouver Canuck, and it appears the feeling is mutual, with Jim Rutherford telling reporters yesterday that they'd like the netminder to stick around.
Vancouver Canucks want to extend Thatcher Demko
During Monday's season-ending media availability for the team's front office, President of Hockey Operations Jim Rutherford shared that they would like to sign Thatcher Demko to a contract extension.
Rutherford would go on to add the team needs to weigh the risk they're willing to take and how much risk that Thatcher Demko is also willing to take when it comes to the term of a potential contract extension.
"We would like to extend him," Rutherford said according to Thomas Drance of The Athletic.
He added, "It's a fools game to negotiate publicly, but it's going to be a matter of how much risk the team is willing to take and how much risk is he willing to take, as to the term of his contract."
He added, "It's a fools game to negotiate publicly, but it's going to be a matter of how much risk the team is willing to take and how much risk is he willing to take, as to the term of his contract."
As with any contract, there's going to be risks whether that's performance related or due to potential injuries, but with Thatcher Demko and his injury history, the Vancouver Canucks need to think long and hard if they're comfortable committing to him long term at a high dollar figure.
The other thing all parties will need to think about here is playing time, especially following the signing of Kevin Lankinen, who will be with the Vancouver Canucks until the conclusion of the 2029-30 season.
If Demko is fine with splitting starts as part of a 1A-1B tandem with Kevin Lankinen, then that's great for Vancouver, but if not, he might want to test the free agent market on Canada Day 2026.
Demko is very likely going to get a bump in pay following next season and if he returns to his Vezina Trophy candidate form, then that dollar figure could jump to somewhere in the range of $8.5-$9.5 million annually.
When combined with Kevin Lankinen's salary, it'll mean the team will be paying $13-$14 million to their goaltending tandem, which in 2026-27 when the cap is expected to be $104 million USD, means they'll take up roughly 12.5-13.5 percent of the team's payroll.
We'll see where things go, but it would be a surprise if Thatcher Demko signs an extension this summer as he wants to bet on himself and hope for a big payday next year, if he's able to regain his form.
| POLL | ||
AVRIL 23 | 648 ANSWERS Vancouver Canucks' Jim Rutherford not convinced they will re-sign goalie Thatcher Demko Will the Vancouver Canucks sign Thatcher Demko to a contract extension this summer? | ||
| Yes | 317 | 48.9 % |
| No | 331 | 51.1 % |
| List of polls | ||
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