January 5th, 2025
Alex Rickman
Throughout his time as the Canucks starting goalie, it’s never been clear who next season’s backup goalie behind Thatcher Demko will be. Brayden Holtby, Jaroslav Halak, Spencer Martin, and Casey DeSmith had all held the position before this year, and had you asked someone after the Canucks playoff elimination who would be backing up Demko in the 2024-25 season, they almost certainly would have confidently declared Arturs Silovs the backup of the future in Vancouver.
An extended absence from Demko caused the team to bring in Kevin Lankinen, who initially seemed set to back up Silovs until Demko was ready to go. But, following an incredibly disappointing run of games from the young Latvian and consistent brilliance from Lankinen, it was ultimately Silovs who found himself the backup and was eventually sent back to the AHL upon Demko’s return. Now, with Lankinen still putting up excellent performance after excellent performance, and Silovs perhaps having lost the confidence of some in Vancouver, the question of who will be backing up Demko come the 2025-26 season once again seems like an open case.
What we do know is that giving Demko solid coverage and a backup who the coaches can trust to win games will be essential. Demko has played far too many games in far too many seasons, and his consistent injury trouble has to be considered a direct result of this. If Demko does not have a backup who can take a considerable amount of the load off his shoulders, the Canucks are in deep trouble. But who could that backup be? Let’s take a look at some of the potential options to share the crease with the former Vezina nominee.
Kevin Lankinen
In the eyes of some, Kevin Lankinen should be considered the clear favourite to share the crease with Demko next year. After joining the team just before the beginning of the preseason, Lankinen has been nothing short of amazing this year, putting up easily the best season a Canucks goalie not named Thatcher Demko has played in years. This excellent performance, however, also raises a potential problem. Right now, Lankinen’s cap hit sits at $875K. After the year he’s had, he’s due for a big raise, and with the Canucks current cap situation, might price himself out of a return to Vancouver.
In a recent interview with Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre, Canucks GM Patrik Allvin did not rule out the possibility of re-signing Lankinen. After what he’s shown himself to be capable of this year, I think that the Canucks will try their best to bring him back. However, at the end of the day, we just can’t be sure the Canucks will be able to get Lankinen back on a contract they can justify. Should this be the case, it might actually be in the Canucks best interest to consider trading Lankinen ahead of the trade deadline, but that’s a conversation for another day.
While I would love to see Lankinen return to Vancouver next year, it’s not easy to see a path for that to happen, so we need to keep considering alternative options. However, this is a front office that has proven to be among the league’s most creative in the past, so we can’t entirely rule out a reunion.
Arturs Silovs
The Arturs Silovs we saw in the first round of the playoffs last year is not only an NHL-level goaltender, but a damn good one. The Arturs Silovs we saw during the regular season last year and in the second round against Edmonton seems like a serviceable NHL option who may be best suited with a little more time to develop in the AHL. The Arturs Silovs we have seen in the NHL this season is bad. Therein lies the question of giving Silovs the backup spot for next season. If we’re getting the form of Silovs we saw last year, there’s plenty of reason to believe he can be a reliable NHL backup. However, can the Canucks afford to take that risk?
The trouble with Silovs seems to be that this season, teams have been able to identify weaknesses in his game that the Predators were yet to uncover last Spring. On shots from distance, Silovs will almost always immediately drop into the butterfly, leading to a lot of goals beating him high that could have been saved had he read the play better. Teams continued to exploit this game after game and continued getting results. The good news, however, is that Silovs has age on his side, with only a handful of goalies younger than him having seen even a game of NHL action this season. Silovs has time still to grow out of this weakness, and if that can happen, the Silovs we saw lead the Canucks within a game of the Western Conference final could return.
But is this a risk the Canucks can afford? It’s hard to say. The best-case scenario for the Canucks probably includes Silovs backing up Thatcher Demko next year, but if this is the basket the Canucks put their eggs in and Silovs can’t clean up his play, they have a problem on their hands. For now, it might be best to plan as if Silovs is in need of one more season of AHL hockey that can be treated as a make-or-break year, deciding if the Canucks will give him a chance to make the jump or if another goalie prospect will take over as the heir apparent for the backup job.
Nikita Tolopilo
There are people in the Canucks organization who are big fans of what Tolopilo brings to the table. His numbers in Abbotsford this season may not jump off the page as those of an elite goaltender, but Tolopilo’s physical attributes are incredible. Beyond his 6’6 frame, Tolopilo is an athletic freak, moving around the crease like a goaltender much smaller than he is. The numbers may still not be great, but with some work throughout the rest of the season and during the offseason, could Tolopilo earn some consideration to pass Silovs in the depth chart and take the NHL backup job?
It would be an incredible story to see the undrafted free agent staple down an NHL job, but if relying on Silovs to be the backup is a risky manoeuvre, relying on Tolopilo could be considered downright reckless. Tolopilo is yet to play an NHL game and at 24 years old, is far from a young prospect. I am a big fan of Tolopilo’s, but until he’s had a chance to prove himself in the NHL at some level I wouldn’t be rushing to give him the backup job.
However, perhaps some open competition between him and Silovs for the rest of the AHL campaign, or a late-season call-up should the Canucks find themselves in need of another goalie, could create a path for Tolopilo to earn himself consideration for the role. Goalies take a long time to develop, so the fact that Tolopilo is 24 doesn’t take too much away from his long-term NHL prospects. While I am definitely rooting for Tolopilo, unless something changes, I don’t think now is the time to give him the reins.
Free Agents
Let’s say Kevin Lankinen gets paid the money he deserves somewhere else, but Arturs Silovs and Nikita Tolopilo still aren’t viewed as viable options to take over as the Canucks backup. Could the front office opt to keep the revolving door of goalies who have been Demko’s backup spinning for another year? While bringing back Lankinen or promoting a prospect from within seem like the two ideal options, sometimes things just don’t go how you hope they will and you have to make the best of a less than ideal situation. Maybe one more year of using free agency to find a backup goalie is a necessary evil for Vancouver.
So who could it be? The Canucks could look to go a few different ways with this, with no shortage of veteran backups currently set to hit the open market on July 1st. From Dan Vladar or Eric Comrie to Ilya Samsonov or Charlie Lindgren, there are options across the NHL at the moment who could be looking for a new team come the offseason and may end up settling in Vancouver. Another interesting option could be Jake Allen, a former thorn in the side of the bubble Canucks and current backup to Jacob Markström in New Jersey.
Vancouver may also choose to be patient when the market opens up and wait to see if, like Lankinen, an option goes unsigned and becomes available for a discount. While hard to rely on, if the Canucks are hoping for an upgrade but feel comfortable using either Silovs or Tolopilo if it comes down to it, this could be an interesting avenue for Vancouver to explore if the stars align. A trade like the one that brought Casey DeSmith to Vancouver could also be possible if the offseason drags on without a goalie signing for the Canucks.
Ultimately, it’s hard to predict who might be backing up Thatcher Demko next year, but it feels like Kevin Lankinen has the inside track if the Canucks can afford to pay him. In the likely scenario that the Canucks are unable to afford Lankinen, however, I get the feeling that Patrik Allvin will look to free agency rather than depending on Silovs or Tolopilo to back up. With Demko’s injury proneness, the Canucks simply cannot afford not to have a strong backup to shoulder some of the load and be able to step in as a starter if Demko goes down hurt. Until we have a clearer picture of what Silovs or Tolopilo can bring to the table in the NHL, it’s hard to imagine a world where the Canucks are ready to rely on one of them to be the full-time backup.