Demko opens up on surgery and injury problems at opening day of Canucks training camp

The Vancouver Canucks officially announced their 2024-25 opening night this morning and goaltender Thatcher Demko was conspicuously absent.

Check it out:

Demko's injury status has been a mystery for months now after he was pulled from the team's first round playoff series against the Nashville Predators. He was reportedly ready to return to action if the Canucks were able to extend their season with a Game 7 win against the Edmonton Oilers, but ultimately the team fell short. Flash forward to the offseason and there were reports that Demko was never ready to return to action and would actually require surgery to repair an injury. Then... radio silence.

Demko addressed the rumors in training camp, but still didn't inspire much confident in Canucks' fans' minds.

“I’ve been able to rehab a ton this summer, and 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,” Demko said to reporters last month.

Demko did confirm that he had a "minor procedure" in what he calls a "frustrating summer."

“It’s such a rare case, such a unique injury, that we didn’t have a lot of readily available research or case studies,” Demko said.

The good news is that Demko says he has made progress in training camp saying, “I have full confidence that I’ll be able to get back to 100%.”

Today, TSN insider Darren Dreger reported that Demko will be out 3-4 weeks.

From Dreger:

So... what happened? Why the mixed messaging?

Why won't the Canucks put a timeline on Demko's return?

“Looking back, as a competitor I think you kind of lie to yourself in a playoff situation,” Demko said in reference to reports that he was nearing a return. “I thought maybe I was a little bit farther ahead than I was. In hindsight, I do think that I would have been in a situation where I probably would have been able to kind of grit through it and maybe get out there and play in the Conference Final.”

“There’s not one case that we can find, goaltender or hockey player in general. It’s been wild. It’s been part of the frustration, is just not having a ton of information and you’re kind of going into it blindfolded. I did hit a bit of a wall in the summer as far as the recovery went. We did see a little bit of a lack of progress there for a couple months. Obviously that’s why I’m in the situation that I’m in right now.”

Here's hoping the netminder can find a solution for what ails him because the Canucks' season is very dependent on his ability to stay between the pipes.