Canucks’ Thatcher Demko progressing from injury, but no timetable for return

While there is a positive sight in Vancouver, there isn’t a lot of good news surrounding one of the best young netminders in the NHL.

As training camp opened for the Vancouver Cancuks on Thursday, goaltender Thatcher Demko was seen skating by himself before the first full group took the ice. He was working on basic crease movement, along with taking shots from goaltending coach Marko Torenius.

It was the first time many saw Demko skating in British Columbia since he suffered a lower-body injury during the opening round of last year’s Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Afterward, the 28-year-old spoke to the media, admitting his rehab is back on track after a hiccup earlier this summer. He stated that he is confident that he will get back to a full bill of health but that there is no timeline for his return to game action.

“I’ve been able to rehab a ton this summer,” Demko said. “Sure, it’s taking a bit longer than I would have liked, but over the past few weeks, I’m feeling a lot better now, and there’s some light at the end of the tunnel.”

While there was much speculation about what was hurt, Demko clarified that it was a muscle injury. However, trying to form a recovery plan was tough due to the rarity of his ailment. The former Boston College standout told reporters that he “hit a wall” while rehabbing and that the recovery from the unusual injury “hasn’t been linear.”

“It’s definitely been a little bit frustrating at times…it’s such a rare case, such a unique injury that we didn’t have a lot of readily available research or case studies or any information to have a concrete timeline.”

Demko was revealed to have been injured after the Canucks’ win over the Nashville Predators in Game 1 of the Pacific Division Semifinals back in April.

“When I first felt the injury,” Demko said. “I obviously wasn’t too sure what it was. As we kind of dived into some research and things, it was a little ambiguous…We’ve talked to all the specialists we can around the world, North America and even overseas. Myself and the staff in the organization are confident we are on the right track.”

Casey DeSmith came in and played a few games before getting hurt himself. That led to Arturs Silovs taking the reins. Vancouver got as far as Game 7 of the second round, ultimately losing to the Edmonton Oilers.

Demko has two more seasons remaining on his current contract, with an AAV of $5 million. The San Diego, California native has been with the organization since they took him in the second round of the 2014 NHL Draft. In 219 NHL appearances, Demko has a record of 116-81-17, with a 2.79 goals-against average, a .912 save percentage and eight shutouts.