Achi news desk-
The Vancouver Canucks have retroactively placed star goaltender Thatcher Demko on the long-term injured reserve list.
“It’s just about a cap,” coach Rick Tocchet said after Wednesday’s practice. “We’re getting some cap relief, that’s all it is.”
The 28-year-old netminder has been considered week-to-week since being sidelined with a lower-body injury midway through Vancouver’s 5-0 win over the Winnipeg Jets on March 9.
That injury designation has not changed, Tocchet said.
Demko has a 34-18-2 record this season, with a .917 save percentage, 2.47 goals against average and five shutouts.
Casey DeSmith has taken over the starting job for Vancouver, going 3-2-1 since Demko’s injury. He has a .899 save percentage on the season with a 2.73 goals against average and one shutout.
The earliest Demko could be back with the Canucks is April 6 against the Kings in Los Angeles.
He is expected to be a key piece as Vancouver (45-19-8) prepares for its first playoff appearance since the COVID-shortened 2019-20 campaign.
Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin also announced Wednesday that the club has recalled forward Arshdeep Bains from the Abbotsford Canucks of the American Hockey League.
“I would like to see where [Bains is] in,” said Tocchet, noting that he is unsure if the 23-year-old winger will join the lineup when the Canucks host the Dallas Stars on Thursday.
WATCH | Bains makes NHL debut
Arshdeep Bains from Surrey, BC, has made his NHL debut with the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday night against the Colorado Avalanche. As CBS’s Joel Ballard reports, it’s been a tough journey for the hometown kid to the big leagues.
Bains played five games for the NHL team in February before being sent back to Abbotsford.
“He went down, he’s done a couple of things that we like, and he’s got some speed,” Tocchet said.
Vancouver may get another forward back in the lineup on Thursday.
Dakota Joshua practiced in a full contact jersey on Wednesday for the first time since suffering an upper body injury in Vancouver’s 4-2 win over the Blackhawks in Chicago on February 13.
The physical winger, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, has a career-high 26 points (13 goals, 13 assists) this season.
Sitting out injured “hasn’t been fun,” Joshua said.
“It feels like forever,” she said. “But at this point, that’s behind me and I’m moving on.”
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