The profoundly rotten injury luck is back to haunt the Vancouver Canucks. One of the primary reasons the team was unable to maintain its spectacular 2023-24 form in the following season was due to injuries to key players. Now, with goalie Thatcher Demko’s premature exit from the showdown against the Winnipeg Jets, the situation looks concerning again.
Demko had already missed three games over the weekend, having been out for “preventative maintenance.” When he did return, everyone wished he had done so for longer.
Canucks management insists that Demko’s absence from the ice this time around is unrelated to the maintenance he was under, but fans are not buying that explanation.
Vancouver Canucks Fans Go Ballistic on Management After Thatcher Demko’s Frustrating Exit
Demko returned to play the Jets, but at what cost? The goalie was a shell of his usual self, and after allowing three goals on eight shots in the first period, he left the Rogers Arena to be replaced by Kevin Lankinen. Lankinen did what he could to make 20 saves on 21 shots, but the goalie’s efforts fell short nonetheless, and Winnipeg emerged victorious 5-3.
The Jets are armed with arguably the best goalie in the NHL, Connor Hellebuyck. The 32-year-old made 30 saves and enabled Winnipeg to cruise past the Canucks. Jets fans are undoubtedly ecstatic after the team managed a win following three successive losses, but the situation over at Vancouver is a lot more grim.
According to the team’s management, the so-called maintenance that kept Demko out for three games is unrelated to the lower-body injury that caused him to exit the arena on Tuesday.
“Thatcher Demko’s injury is unrelated to the maintenance he had over the weekend, per the #Canucks,” Bredan Batchelor of Sportsnet shared on his X profile.
Thatcher Demko’s injury is unrelated to the maintenance he had over the weekend, per the #Canucks. @Sportsnet650
— Brendan Batchelor (@BatchHockey) November 12, 2025
Fans did not seem to believe a word, as they quickly rose to the occasion to cry foul. “Is there nobody on the Canucks beat willing to question this extremely fishy narrative? Meanwhile, TV side, Murph describes a 1 for 4 homestand as “relatively successful.” This is one of the most hockey-savvy markets anywhere. What is up with our media?,” commented a fan bluntly, questioning the media for being blindly led by the management.
Another left an equally sharp-worded comment, questioning the legitimacy of the account being pushed by the front office at Vancouver. They further added that fans have little faith in the franchise precisely because of the way they went about the whole Demko situation. “Brendan, why didn’t they just say ‘rest’ instead of ‘preventative maintenance”. Because so little details were given and weird verbiage used, it just made things a bigger mess. I’m sure most assume they’re lying now, even if they aren’t.”
One Canucks fan refused to believe the management outright, “That is yet another lie coming from the organization.”
While another came for Batchelor, questioning if he bought whatever the Canucks’ brass was trying to sell them. “Do you actually believe that. Or do you like passing on bs from the team to make your rent?”
The Demko situation has pushed fans off the edge, and understandably so. The team has lost four out of the six games it has played in November, and sunk to the very bottom of the Pacific Division. Demko’s absence is bad news for the team, and the fans are aware. It remains to be seen how the Canucks find a way out of this bottomless pit they have fallen into.
UPDATE: Demko will miss the next 2-3 weeks of action due to the injury he suffered last night.
