Demko has been helping DeSmith behind the scenes during the playoffs

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Cooper Godin
April 27, 2024 (4:58 PM)

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Being on the sidelines and out with an injury is never easy for an athlete, especially at the most important time of their season, for hockey, the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Thatcher Demko's status is up in the air at this current time. Reports have been all over the place this week from saying he'll return late in the second round or that he'll be back in the Western Conference Final if the Canucks make it that far. There was even one report stating Demko would miss the remainder of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, however that was proven to be false pretty quickly.

With Demko out, the Canucks have turned to Casey DeSmith to carry the reigns until he's able to return from his injury, as was the case throughout the majority of March. Demko travelled with the Canucks to Nashville to support his teammates and be there for them, including DeSmith, who he's been helping behind the scenes.

"He just said he believed in me," DeSmith said. "You know, he's watched me all year. He knows my game. And he said he's excited to watch me and wouldn't trust anyone else to do it."

DeSmith said that since he arrived in Vancouver in a trade with the Montreal Canadiens he's become close friends with Thatcher Demko and that he's glad to have him there to lean on for support and to learn from.

"You couldn't ask for a better guy to learn from, just in terms of the excellence he has in being a goalie," DeSmith said of Demko. "He's very, very passionate about goaltending. It rubbed off on me. Hopefully, he would say the same, but he's a hard worker and a perfect friend. He's been supportive every time I've been in there � whether he's been injured or it's just my turn. He always supports me, and I've enjoyed his friendship."

It's great to see the chemistry and how close the tandem of Thatcher Demko and Casey DeSmith are. With DeSmith set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1st, it'll be interesting to see if the Canucks sign him to a new contract or if they'll turn to Arturs Silovs as the full-time backup for 2024-25 and beyond.

DeSmith will have a big task ahead of himself tomorrow in Game 4 against the Nashville Predators. The Predators will come in hot as they look to rebound from Friday's loss and tie up the series at 2-2. The Canucks will need to help out their goaltender tomorrow if they're going to come home with a 3-1 series lead, and they'll need to get more than 12 shots on goal to pull out the victory. The puck drop is set for 2 p.m. PT/5 p.m. ET on Sportsnet.