Vancouver Canucks manage to come to terms goaltender who initially refused to sign with them
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Tom Banks
September 21, 2024 (5:07 PM)
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Photo credit: Nashville Hockey Now
The Vancouver Canucks needed more depth in net following the injury to Thatcher Demko, and now they've signed Kevin Lankinen for just that.
This off-season has been a strange one for the Vancouver Canucks, and while Thatcher Demko is confident he will be 100% and ready to go for the regular season following an injury in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the team needed insurance. Now, they've found it, as the team have officially inked Kevin Lankinen to a one-year deal worth $875k.
The 29-year old has four years of experience in the NHL, last playing with the Nashville Predators over the lsat two seasons, with 112 appearances in the league under his belt. During that stretch, Lankinen has put together a .905 save percentage and a 3.07 GAA, and while Arturs Silovs will be the primary backup, Lankinen is the perfect insurance.
This move has been rumoured for a few days now, and it's clear that it was one the team needed, and given that they are a team ready to make a genuine Stanley Cup push, a cheap deal like this is always a good move.
With the team signing a veteran this early into camp, it may signal that the team aren't confident in Demko's health, especially considering his injury history, but now if they lose him for a significant amount of time, they'll have enough talent in net to keep them in games moving forward.