Thatcher Demko is not playing tonight.
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The Canucks are back in action tonight, hosting the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Yesterday was all about Thatcher Demko’s status. The Canucks’ messaging was messy and threw many into a tizzy as a result, but as I wrote yesterday, when you cut through the noise there was a coherent, reasonable tale being told: Demko was told this summer that if he felt he needed a day off, he must say so. Especially with the NHL schedule this season crazier than ever.
And so he did. Now, he hasn’t played since last Monday. He did take part in Wednesday’s morning skate before backing up that night vs. Chicago. That was all very routine. Then he had an off-day on Thursday along with the rest of the team.
It was revealed Saturday, from head coach Adam Foote, that Demmer was out for Saturday’s game. Demko’s status is unclear for when the Canucks host the Colorado Avalanche Sunday night.
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“Demmer won’t be playing tonight,” Foote said after Saturday’s morning skate. “He won’t be backing up tonight.
“He went out this morning, and he’s still doing his thing, preparing for next time he plays.”
Jiri Patera, a call-up from American Hockey League affiliate Abbotsford Canucks, will backup Lankinen against the Blue Jackets.
Demko is almost 30. He’s going to feel old-man soreness more and more now. That’s what you hope, and the Canucks hope, that this is all he’s dealing with right now.
Patera was called up Friday on an emergency basis. Patrik Allvin said the move was precautionary, since if the team would need Patera to backup on Saturday, it made no sense to run the risk of him being delayed arriving in Vancouver from Denver — the AHL Canucks are in Colorado this weekend — by waiting until game day to call him up.
So we’ll see how things look at Saturday’s morning skate. Check back here for what we see.
Jiri Patera will indeed back up tonight. Demko is feeling better and skated Saturday morning, but the Canucks are taking the cautious approach.
Both Teddy Blueger and Jonathan Lekkerimaki are close to a return. Blueger’s been out with a leg injury, Lekkerimaki with some sort of shoulder or upper back problem. Both were hurt a few weeks ago in Washington.
Both skated with skills coach Jason Krog on Friday, after the Canucks’ main practice ended. They were wearing red non-contact jerseys.
Assistant coach Brett McLean said earlier in the week that Blueger was close to being ready for a full practice in a non-contact jersey; before returning he still needs to get through another full-contact skate. Lekkerimaki isn’t far behind, head coach Adam Foote said Friday.
Both players skated again Saturday morning, joined by Victor Mancini.
Nils Hoglander has been seen walking without crutches or a walking boot. Asked about his recovery on Friday, Foote said that the winger is actually ahead of schedule. It was expected he would be out at least until the end of the month, so that’s promising.
Filip Chytil is feeling better, Foote said, but still has yet to do any exercise since sustaining a concussion vs. Seattle.
The Canucks have a pile of goalies on the books but are in a real pinch at the AHL level as well now.
With Patera called up, Abbotsford was suddenly left with just one healthy goalie on Friday — Nikita Tolopilo suffered an injury early in the season and hasn’t yet recovered. Ty Young got the start on Friday night but suffered some sort of injury in the second period and left the game. Abbotsford had to turn to emergency backup C.J. Kier, a local kid who played a season of junior hockey in the U.S. a couple years ago.
Saturday morning, Abbotsford got a pair of reinforcements: Jonathan Lemieux, who is on an AHL deal but is normally stashed at ECHL Kalamazoo, was called up Friday and arrived in Colorado. With Young apparently also out, they called up Aku Koskenvuo.
Sportsnet.ca’s Iain MacIntyre had a good chat with Elias Pettersson, the forward, yesterday. The Canucks’ top centre used to shoot a lot more than he does now. He admits he knows now.
“I agree, I can shoot more,” he said. “There’s nothing hindering me from shooting. I think I’ve always been a pass-first guy, and if I think I could put someone else in a better position to score, then I always do that. That’s how I see the game. I’ve always been like that. But I also know I have a good shot.
“Definitely, I think, it’s a mindset that I can be better at. Like, I know I have a good shot, but maybe I haven’t scored as much lately, so I’m trying to find a good pass instead. It’s a mindset. I know I can score, but yeah, I’m always trying to find the perfect play.”
Check back for more Canucks news throughout the day …
— With files from the Canadian Press
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