The Vancouver Canucks announced on Saturday afternoon that they have signed free-agent goaltender Kevin Lankinen to a one-year contract worth $875,000. He was rumoured to be a target of the team after news came out that Thatcher Demko was slow-moving on his rehab during the offseason. Even after adding Dylan Ferguson on a professional tryout (PTO), they were still negotiating with the 29-year-old in an attempt to sign him to provide insurance just in case Demko wasn’t available to start the season.
Welcoming Kevin Lankinen to the #Canucks! 👋 pic.twitter.com/uyEbusst7b
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) September 21, 2024
The situation got a bit more dire when Demko came out on the first day of training camp and basically said that he didn’t have a timeline for his return. Now the Canucks have a stronger tandem with surprising rookie Arturs Silovs and a veteran in Lankinen manning the net for what could be the foreseeable future.
Lankinen spent last season with the Nashville Predators where he put together a solid 11-6-0 record behind starter Juuse Saros along with a 2.82 goals-against average (GAA) and .908 save percentage (SV%). In two seasons with the Predators, he put together a 2.79 GAA, .912 SV%, and three shutouts. Before that, he was with the Chicago Blackhawks, the team that signed him as an undrafted free agent.
Canucks Add Experience Alongside Silovs
General manager Patrik Allvin wanted to add more depth and experience to his goaltending group, and he got it with Lankinen, who was widely considered the top free agent still on the market – and at a pretty good price too.
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“Kevin is an experienced NHL player who will add to our depth in goal,” said Allvin. “He had a solid season last year in Nashville and has the size and skillset we like in a netminder. We look forward to getting him here to start working with our group.”
Unless there’s a big development in Demko’s rehab and recovery, the Canucks will go into opening night against the Flames with Silovs and Lankinen splitting the net. With Lankinen’s experience, he will probably take on the starter’s role with Silovs as the backup. Although, it could also turn into a 1A/1B situation if both perform well whenever they get the call from head coach Rick Tocchet.
Preseason for the Canucks starts on Sept. 24 against the Seattle Kraken.