Vancouver Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet gave some updates on Sunday regarding the status of Thatcher Demko and Tyler Myers ahead of their final two games of the regular season.
The Vancouver Canucks are set to play their penultimate game of the 2024-25 season on Monday night as they host first overall pick Macklin Celebrini and the San Jose Sharks at Rogers Arena.
Throughout the year, Vancouver has dealt with numerous injuries to key players including to Tyler Myers, who was hurt during their 5-0 loss to the Seattle Kraken back on April 2nd and his season could very well be over.
Rick Tocchet provides updates on Thatcher Demko and Tyler Myers
When speaking with reporters after practice on Sunday afternoon, Vancouver Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet shared some big updates on Thatcher Demko and Tyler Myers.
Thatcher Demko, who’s still out due to illness, won’t play in either of Vancouver’s final two games of the season, with Nikita Tolopilo likely to get his first career start in the National Hockey League tonight or Wednesday.
Tocchet also shared that Tyler Myers is not ready to return and that the team plans to call up a defenseman from the American Hockey League, which they did on Monday, bringing up rookie Kirill Kudryavtsev from Abbotsford.
“Tocchet says Thatcher Demko won’t play either of final two games. Tolopilo likely to get first #NHL start. And Myers not quite ready so another AHL dman on the way up” Jeff Paterson of Rink Wide: Vancouver said on Sunday.
Demko, 29, finished the 2024-25 season with just 23 appearances after not making his season debut until February due to recovery from an injury sustained during the Stanley Cup Playoffs and suffered another in February which kept him out for over a month.
In those 23 games, Demko had a record of 10-8-3 with a 2.90 goals against average, an .889 save percentage and one shutout.
Myers, a native of Houston, Texas, suited up for 71 games this season in Vancouver where he tallied 24 points (six goals, 18 assists), 74 penalty minutes and was a plus-two.
Puck drop for tonight’s game against the San Jose Sharks is set for 7 pm PT and can be viewed on Sportsnet Pacific in the Vancouver region.