VANCOUVER – The Canucks have sent all-star goalie Thatcher Demko back to Vancouver so medical staff can evaluate his latest injury.
Head coach Adam Foote says the 30-year-old American netminder will be out “a week or two” after leaving midway through Vancouver’s 5-0 loss to the Maple Leafs in Toronto on Saturday.
He was placed on injured reserve Sunday, and Nikita Tolopilo was called up from the American Hockey League’s Abbotsford Canucks under emergency conditions.
Foote says Tolopilo will start in net Monday when Vancouver faces the Canadiens in Montreal.
Demko missed 12 games in November and December as he recovered from a lower-body injury.
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Foote says the goalie has had “a couple of things going on” all season and “it might be possible” the Canucks will need to shut him down for the rest of the campaign, pending what they hear from doctors back in Vancouver.
Demko has an 8-10-1 record with a .897 save percentage, a 2.90 goals-against average and one shutout this season.
Vancouver has struggled with injuries throughout the season.
Defenceman Derek Forbort and centres Marco Rossi, Teddy Blueger and Filip Chytil all remain on the IR list.
Winger Conor Garland is slated to return to the lineup against the Habs on Monday after sitting out five games with an upper-body injury, but the Canucks will be without bruising forward Kiefer Sherwood due to an undisclosed ailment.
“He’s trying to go through something,” Foote said. “My gut says it’ll be a week to three weeks, probably, so it doesn’t look promising.”
Sherwood leads the Canucks with 17 goals on the season.
The pending free agent is widely considered Vancouver’s best asset as teams look to fortify their rosters ahead of the NHL trade deadline on March 6.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 12, 2026.
© 2026 The Canadian Press