Ahead of a weekend back-to-back at home, the Vancouver Canucks have recalled goaltender Jiří Patera from Abbotsford under emergency conditions. This move is definitely one to keep an eye out for, as this may indicate that one of Thatcher Demko or Kevin Lankinen may be unavailable to play this weekend.
The Canucks announced Patera's recall on Friday morning ahead of practice. According to Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK TV, neither Demko nor Lankinen are hurt. However, he specified that Demko "may need a maintenance day," and that the team wants to remain cautious when it comes to injuries, especially when it comes to their goaltenders.
Patera has spent the past two seasons in the AHL with Abbotsford, starting in 12 games total across 2024-25 and 2025-26. Prior to this, his last NHL start was with the Vegas Golden Knights on March 24, 2025. During his last NHL stint, he played in five games, winning one and posting a GAA of 3.98.
With Patera now up with Vancouver, the Abbotsford Canucks will need to turn to Ty Young for starts. Nikita Tolopilo, Abbotsford's projected starter for this season, still remains out of the lineup. Young and Patera had been splitting starts prior to the latter's call-up. With Patera now in the NHL, the Canucks' next goaltender in their depth chart is Aku Koskenvuo.
The Canucks will face both the Columbus Blue Jackets and Colorado Avalanche this weekend before taking on the Winnipeg Jets next Tuesday.
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