Thatcher Demko is back.
The Vancouver Canucks activated Demko off injured reserve on Monday, which meant sending down Arturs Silovs to the Abbotsford Canucks in the AHL.
Silovs acquitted himself well in his first cup of coffee in the NHL, outperforming his veteran compatriots in Collin Delia and Spencer Martin. He started in four games, winning two games and posting a .908 save percentage while facing a couple of top-tier opponents in the New York Rangers and Boston Bruins.
That's a valuable learning experience for Silovs, giving him both a boost of confidence that he can hack it in an NHL net and also some lessons in what he needs to improve to get to the next level.
Demko hasn't appeared in a game for the Canucks since December 1 when he suffered an injury in the first period of a game against the Florida Panthers.
What was initially expected to be a six-week timeline for his return has stretched into over 12 weeks. An attempted return in mid-February was cut short when he suffered a setback in practice. With the Canucks season already lost, it was fair to wonder if Demko should be shut down for the season both as precaution to avoid further injury and to prevent a returning Demko from stealing too many games down the stretch and worsening the team's odds in the draft lottery.
There are strong arguments for Demko to return, of course. If they're healthy, NHL players want to play. Frankly, they want to play even when they're unhealthy. Demko has likely been champing at the bit over the last three months to get back on the ice, particularly given how the Canucks' goaltenders have performed in his absence.
Also, there's something to be said for Demko proving he's 100 per cent healthy this season before heading into the offseason. The Canucks want to be confident in their number one goaltender but that can be difficult with uncertain health.
Meanwhile, trade rumours continue to surround Demko. While the goaltender has made it clear that he doesn't want out of Vancouver and it seems unlikely the Canucks would move him, that hasn't kept other NHL teams from inquiring about his availability. The likelihood of another team offering anything that would make the Canucks say yes to a trade, however, is low.
In a hypothetical world where Demko does get traded, proving that he's back up to full health would be important for both the Canucks, to get the best possible trade value, and teams looking to acquire him, to ensure that they're getting the real Demko.
Demko will get the start against the Dallas Stars on Monday, which is somewhat surprising since the Canucks didn't send him to the AHL on a conditioning stint or giving him a game as the backup. It seemed likely the Canucks would want to ease him into action — instead, he'll immediately play against one of the best teams in the Western Conference.
