Signed two years ago to back up Demko, who was then returning from a serious knee injury after finishing second in Vezina Trophy balloting, Lankinen has instead been, essentially, the Canucks’ starter the last two seasons.
With Wednesday’s announcement by general manager Ryan Johnson that Demko will be at training camp in Penticton but is not ready to practise with the main group, it seems likely that Lankinen could again be leaned on heavily when the Canucks’ regular season opens on Sept. 29.
“Of course, I’ve had a front-row seat and I know how hard Thatcher has worked,” Lankinen told Sportsnet on Wednesday at Rogers Arena before the team travelled to the Okanagan Valley for the opening of camp on Thursday morning. “He’s putting everything on the line, you know, turning over every single stone. I’m really happy to see him come back because I know the path he’s been going through, and it’s not an easy path. But he’s a competitor, a great pro who does everything he can. He’s a big part of the team and he’s going to help our team win when he gets back.
“Before that, it’s everybody else’s job to chip in, and I’m really excited for another opportunity. You know, this is my third year and it’s been more or less the same thing (filling in for Demko). I’m more prepared than I’ve ever been before. I had a great summer, had some really good experiences the past couple years that I’ve been able to learn from, and I’m just really excited to get going here.”
Knee, groin and hip injuries have plagued Demko, restricting him to just 43 games over the last two seasons, most of them played in discomfort. The goalie and the Canucks hope the hip surgeries he underwent in February will be long-term solutions to his chronic lower-body issues.
The 30-year-old is starting a three-year, $24.5-million contract extension he signed 14 months ago. Briefly healthy when last season began, Demko’s performance over seven games in October – a .929 save rate and NHL-leading metrics in goals saved above average – proved he can still stop pucks at a world-class level.
But the discouraging string of significant injuries has made him a wildcard for the Canucks – an X-factor whose impact on the team and its rebuild are impossible to project at this point.
“The main focus is on Thatcher, not necessarily for what he means to the organization, but Thatcher the person,” Johnson said when asked about Demko’s uncertainty. “He has battled a lot. He’s been through a lot physically and emotionally. You can imagine the amount of recoveries and things that he has gone through, and what that mental strain has been on him.
“So, what does he mean to the organization right now? I think he’s a perfect example of somebody that just keeps fighting and keeps wanting to get back. He has so much love for the game and love for his teammates. Some of our discussions, I mean, he doesn’t just want to get back and play, he wants to get back and be a part of this solution for this organization moving forward. So, I commend his approach. And like I said, my focus is on Thatcher the person right now, and I think it’d be very selfish to think about it the other way of what he means necessarily to the future of the organization.”
Lankinen was so impressive filling in for Demko two years ago that the Finn who had been a career backup in the NHL earned a five-year, $22.5-million contract extension from the Canucks.
But as with so many Canuck players last season, Lankinen’s performance regressed as the team imploded and veered into a major rebuild. His .875 save percentage was easily the worst of his career, and Lankinen won only 11 of 43 starts.
The 32nd-place Canucks were the NHL’s worst team defensively, so the systems work under new head coach Manny Malhotra and his staff will be vitally important during training camp and the pre-season.
“Playing in the NHL is always a challenge, right?” Lankinen said when asked about the porous defensive environment around him last season. “And my job is to stop the puck. Of course, if we have a good structure, that helps because it’s a five-man, six-man job (to defend). There are always a lot of things. . . out of your control, which I don’t really want to go into because I just need to focus on my own stuff and what I can do better. I take full ownership for being better and doing the best I can. That is my absolute goal this year.
“Nobody can be happy about last year, myself included. And I take full ownership in that. Yeah, statistically, and in the win column, we weren’t where we wanted to be, quite simply. I kept working on things to help us win games, and there were some stretches that those things showed really well. But at the same time, you know, we need to be more consistent where we bring our elite game every single night, myself included. So I’m not happy with last year, of course not. But did I learn something? Absolutely, and I am stronger and more mentally and physically prepared for this year than ever before.”
Minor-league goalie Nikita Tolopilo, who logged 21 NHL games last season and is subject to waivers for the first time, is second on the Canucks’ depth chart with Demko injured.
Chris Driedger, a 32-year-old journeyman who spent last season in Russia, is with the Canucks on a professional tryout.
Johnson has confidence in Lankinen but said the Canucks will be looking daily at all goaltending options so the position doesn’t become a liability.
“We’ll be looking at all avenues to be able to make sure that we feel really good about what we have at that position,” the GM said.
Lankinen can’t wait to get started. He echoed what many Canuck players and staff have said about a profound change in atmosphere around the team and the positive, invigorating environment Johnson and Malhotra are creating.
“It puts a smile on my face,” Lankinen said. . . smiling. “It just feels like we’re aligned, you know, from management to coaches to players. Everybody in the room, we’re on board. It kind of tells you about the commitment that all the guys showed up early.
“I just like where this team is heading. Yes, we’re in a rebuild, but we have a foundation. We have something to look forward to. Like, we want to win the Stanley Cup, we want to raise the Cup for the fans of Vancouver and the organization. These are the first steps that we’re doing here, and that’s what creates the excitement.”