Canucks Sign Goaltender Kevin Lankinen to 1-Year Contract – Hockey Writers – Canucks Transactions

The Vancouver Canucks announced Saturday afternoon that they have signed free agent goaltender Kevin Lankinen to a one-year contract worth $875,000. He was rumored to be one of the group after news broke that Thatcher Demko was slow in his recovery during the offseason. Even after adding Dylan Ferguson to the professional tryout (PTO), they were still negotiating with the 29-year-old in an attempt to sign him to provide insurance in case Demko is unavailable to start the season.

Welcoming Kevin Lankinen to #Floods! 👋 pic.twitter.com/uyEbusst7b

— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) September 21, 2024

The situation worsened when Demko walked out on the first day of training camp and said he had no time to return. The Canucks now have a solid tandem with surprise rookie Arturs Silovs and veteran Lankinen manning the net for what could be the foreseeable future.

Lankinen spent last season with the Nashville Predators where he compiled a solid 11-6-0 record behind starter Juuse Saros along with a 2.82 goals against average (GAA) and a .908 save percentage (SV%). In two seasons with the Predators, he compiled a 2.79 GAA, .912 SV%, and three shutouts. Before that, he was with the Chicago Blackhawks, a team that signed him as an undrafted free agent.

Canucks Add Experience to Silovs Side

General manager Patrik Allvin wanted to add more depth and experience to his goaltending group, and he found it with Lankinen, who was considered the best free agent still on the market — and at a great price.

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“Kevin is an experienced NHL player who will add to our goaltending depth,” Allvin said. “He had a strong season last year in Nashville and has the size and skill that we like in a netminder. We look forward to having him here to start working with our team.”

Unless there is a major improvement in Demko's recovery and recovery, the Canucks will enter the opener against the Flames with Silovs and Lankinen sharing the net. With Lankinen's experience, he will likely take the starting role with Silovs as backup. Although, it could also turn into a 1A/1B situation if both perform well whenever they get the call from head coach Rick Tocchet.

The Canucks' preseason begins on September 24 against the Seattle Kraken.