Vancouver Canucks head coach Manny Malhotra said goaltender Thatcher Demko is in a slow rehabilitation process and is improving daily after watching practice from the sidelines on Monday.
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With the Canucks only listing one major roster absence as they move through their season, head coach Manny Malhotra provided an update on goaltender Thatcher Demko after Monday practice.
Demko was spotted watching the Canucks skate from the sidelines during the team’s first day of practice after returning from an east-coast swing.
After practice, Malhotra said, “It’s a slow process for him, but he is getting better. Again, don’t want to put a timeline on him, but the fact that he is improving daily is a positive. But we’ve said from day one, we’re not in a situation where we’re rushing.”
Malhotra added that Demko has been taking part in skates on his own, though he “took a couple days off the ice” this past week.
Demko underwent hip surgery toward the end of January 2026, which kept him out for the remainder of the 2025-26 season. He resumed skating in Vancouver during the off-season and also joined the team’s early solo skates during training camp in Penticton, but he has begun the 2026-27 season on injured reserve.
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