Nobody could have anticipated that during the 2025–26 season, the Vancouver Canucks organization would be without three of their goaltenders at the same point in time. This very situation occurred over the weekend, with Thatcher Demko taking time off for maintenance while Nikita Tolopilo remained out due to injury. An injury to Ty Young on Friday resulted in the Abbotsford Canucks requiring the use of an emergency backup goalie for the remainder of their game, as Jiří Patera was on his way up to Vancouver after being recalled under emergency conditions. All these injuries have also resulted in both Jonathan Lemieux and Aku Koskenvuo receiving call-ups from the Kalamazoo Wings of the ECHL. As well, Kevin Lankinen ended up starting both of Vancouver's games during their weekend back-to-back at home.
During this stretch of goaltending complications for the Canucks, there is one thing that comes to mind — where would Artūrs Šilovs fit into this equation? Vancouver traded their former goaltender and Calder Cup Championship MVP to the Pittsburgh Penguins during the off-season in exchange for Chase Stillman and a fourth-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft. While he has only been with Pittsburgh since then, he has started in nine games for the Penguins and registered a record of 4–2–3. Šilovs also has a GAA of 2.49 and a .916 SV%. With Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry out for a few weeks due to injury, Šilovs’ workload will only increase.
The Canucks’ current goaltending circumstances lead many to wonder if the team was better off keeping Šilovs and getting rid of one of Demko or Lankinen, or retaining all three and moving their goaltending depth cabinet around a bit. The latter situation is the least likely of these options, as Šilovs made it clear that, while his NHL play didn’t instil a whole lot of confidence last season, he was ready to make the jump after posting stellar numbers during the 2025 Calder Cup Playoffs. Keeping him in the AHL would have helped Abbotsford out insurmountably, but wouldn’t have made sense for a goaltender who was looking for his chance at making the NHL.
At the same time, trading one of Demko or Lankinen to make room for Šilovs in Vancouver was too risky of a move to make on a goaltender who hadn’t quite proven himself long-term at the NHL level. While the goaltender did carry his team to Game 7 of the second-round in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, reality set in the regular season after when Šilovs couldn’t quite find his footing early on as the Canucks’ anticipated starter. This opened the door for Lankinen to step in and take the role of Vancouver’s starter, a transition that ultimately resulted in the goaltender signing a five-year contract extension.
Choosing to stay with Šilovs rather than one of Lankinen or Demko would not have been the right move for this particular organization, though this may have been the opposite if this were a different team with a different trajectory. For starters, both Lankinen and Demko have proven themselves on a consistent basis at the NHL level. While Šilovs could have definitely been capable of doing-so this season or even the next, with the way Vancouver approaches their seasons — as if their playoff window is open — it wouldn’t have made sense for them to wait for a goaltender with potential, even if that may have been a better move in the long-run. At the end of the day, the Canucks have been adamant that they believe in their current core and want to stick with players who will help them win now. Demko and Lankinen’s ages and experience levels match that of their current core, making it an unfortunately easy decision for the team.
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