By: Brayden Fengler / October 22, 2025 It’s been a bit of a ride over the first few Canucks games. There have been plenty of reasons to panic, but also many to remain calm. It’s early yet, and the Canucks have an okay record at 4-3-0.
But, with key injuries piling up and their first line now consisting of Jake DeBrusk, Conor Garland and a not-yet-reformed Elias Pettersson, things could get dicey.
Yet despite the less than ideal realities now facing the Canucks, one area that they should not be worrying about is with their personnel between the pipes.
For too many years, the Canucks goalie situation has been a toss-up, not always because of a lack of talent, but because of injury, and time afforded to goalies to develop before being forced into the fire.
I would say that not since the shortened 2019-20 season, when Demko and Markstrom shared the crease, have the Canucks been able to breathe when looking at their tendy in net. This season, despite the questionable start, I believe that has changed.
Demko and Lankinen
Demko has been in the net for four of the seven games so far and has six goals against to his name on the season. In the team’s first contest, Demko let one by on only 18 shots but in the next game against the Oilers, Demko faced 36 shots, which resulted in two finding the net.
This was a one-goal game, which ended in an empty net goal to make it 3-1. This loss was not Demko’s fault in any way, but rather the lack of production from the Canucks on the whole led to a lopsided score.
Then, for the third game of the season, the Canucks swapped in Lankinen. It’s great to see that even after a game that was not Demko’s fault, he was swapped out for another goalie that the Canucks feel they can trust.
In Lankinen’s first game of the season, he faced 35 shots against the Blues, which was similar in scope to the onslaught that Demko faced the night before. Unfortunately, though Lankenin let in four goals in this contest, which delivered the Canucks back-to-back losses after the season-opening win.
After seven games, Lankinen has played three and shares two of the three losses attributed to the club so far. While this clearly paints an early picture of Demko still being the leading man, Lankinen’s early season blunders shouldn’t paint him into a corner as well.
Up until last night’s loss to the Pittsubrugh Penguins both of their GAA’s were under three, and their save percentages above .900. Demko at a 2.28 GGA and a .922 SV%, Lankinen, respectively, after his two appearances had a 2.91 GGA and a .912 SV%. Lankinen’s latest 5-1 loss has unfortunately ballooned his short sample size of stats.
Sharing is Caring For… Demko’s Wellbeing
While Lankinen may not be having the hottest start to his season, for so many reasons it will be wise for the Canucks to load manage Demko and ensure that Lankinen starts more than just three games this season (he will, I’m just being hyperbolic, okay).
In a search for stable ground It will be tempting for the Canucks to lean on the more experienced of their two goalies, while players like Hoglander remain away, and others like Filip Chytil and Jonathan Lekkerimäki are newly joining the list of injured players. However, it’s key that the Canucks resist this urge and trust that Lankinen can step up.
Lankinen has proven after 51 starts for the team last season that he is capable. The Canucks should try to stick him with no more than 40% of the starts between now and American Thanksgiving. If it gets into late November and Lankinen is losing this club too many games, then okay, maybe Demko needs to be relied on more. But let’s give this tandem some room to breathe first, before it’s the Demko show.
It’s Been a Journey Even To Get Here
Halak, Holtby, DeSmith, Martin, it’s been a forever-rotating cast of characters trying to shore up the Canucks goalie situation should Demko not be able to play every game ever.
For a while there, it looked like a Demko-Silovs future was in store for the Canucks, but after Demko’s injury last season and the Arturs Silovs trade this past off-season, that book is of course closed.
The Canucks were wise to trade Silovs; he simply didn’t transfer to the Canucks regular season after his impressive playoff performance, and at that time, the Canucks needed an immediately reliable goalie.
It was a wise move to sign Lankinen and have him in the wings before that season even started. While Lankinen was a blessing for the struggling Canucks last season, I think his real strength is yet to come this season.
Goalie situations can turn on a dime, but there really hasn’t been a pair that has looked this good on paper and in practice for the Canucks in a long time. With both goalies healthy and signed beyond this year, now the Canucks just need a team in front of them.