Thatcher Demko Absent from Practice - Vancouver Canucks Clarify the Reason

Vancouver Canucks' Thatcher Demko did not participate in Tuesday's practice, Brendan Batchelor of Sportsnet 650 reports, which was further followed up by Jeff Paterson.

The team insists that Demko is not dealing with an injury, but rather, his leave is of a personal nature. No further details on what exactly the issue is were revealed.

Vancouver has two preseason games left before the start of the regular season, and it remains to be seen if Demko will be available for those contests at the moment.

If the 29-year-old were to miss any time to start the regular season, Kevin Lankinen would serve as the clear-cut No. 1 option between the pipes, something the team and fans hope won't end up being the case, despite Lankinen being skilled.

The Vancouver Canucks are looking for a bounce-back year for the 2025-26 season. After winning the Pacific Division the year prior, the Canucks struggled last year. The team managed just a 38-30-14 record, finishing 10th in the West.

Losing Demko for any period of time would not be a good start for a team looking to begin the season roaring like lions.

The organization didn't make a ton of offseason additions, but did manage to retain Brock Boeser and extend both Conor Garland and Demko. As a result, though, the Canucks' hopes for improvement rest more internally.