Canucks may wait until road trip ends to start Demko

As All-Star goaltender Thatcher Demko readies himself to return to game action, the biggest question facing the Vancouver Canucks now becomes choosing the right time to get him back between the pipes.

Demko is travelling with the Canucks this week on a six-game road trip that runs until Dec. 3 but Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, speaking on the Saturday Headlines segment of Hockey Night in Canada, thinks the club may wait until they return to Rogers Arena for Demko’s long-awaited first start.

“The biggest question for the Canucks is, do they want to start him for his first game at home?” Friedman reported. “With everything they have there, would it be more comfortable for them to start him there?”

Demko, 28, has been sidelined since April 21, when he suffered a rare injury in the Canucks’ playoff round against the Nashville Predators. The team later revealed that Demko suffered a torn popliteus muscle — an injury not yet suffered by a professional hockey player.

The 2024 Vezina Trophy runner-up put up career numbers last season, posting a .918 save percentage and a 2.45 goals-against average, with five shutouts and a 35-14 record.

Friedman also reported that injured forward Brock Boeser, who has been practising in a non-contact jersey, is also travelling with the team and could return from injury on this trip. He doesn’t expect J.T. Miller, who is taking a leave of absence from the team, to play until the Canucks return to Vancouver.