Thatcher Demko

The Nashville Predators roll into Rogers Arena tonight, sitting fifth in the Central with a 29-27-8 record, desperate to climb against a Vancouver Canucks squad mired in the Pacific basement at 16-22-5. Preds captain Ryan O'Reilly leads the charge with 37 points, but Vancouver's injury woes - Thatcher Demko out for the season on the hip, Evander Kane day-to-day - leave their net vulnerable and their lineup thin.

Vancouver re-assigns prospect Aku Koskenvuo straight to the NHL roster as Thatcher Demko sits out the season and Kevin Lankinen chases gold for Finland at the Olympics. The 22-year-old Finn, fresh off his first AHL shutout in Abbotsford and a 2-5 record amid the Canucks' defensive woes, now practices with the big club alongside Jiří Patera.

The Vancouver Canucks sit buried in eighth place in the Pacific, staring down a rebuild that forces tough calls on their term-locked veterans amid razor-thin cap space. GM Patrik Allvin juggles emergency recalls like Nikita Tolopilo while prioritizing waiver-exempt kids over pricey depth, all as Thatcher Demko's health and Elias Pettersson's point production hang in the balance.

Kevin Lankinen's post-Olympic return hits a snag as he skips Wednesday's matchup against the Jets while shaking off the international grind. Vancouver recalled Aku Koskenvuo on an emergency basis during Lankinen's Olympic stint with Finland, where he snagged bronze without seeing the ice, and now the Canucks juggle their crease with Thatcher Demko lost for the season to hip surgery.

EA Sports drops the curtain on Vancouver's ratings for NHL 26, and Quinn Hughes leads the pack as the Canucks' top dog with a jaw-dropping score that puts him right up there with the league's elite blueliners. Thatcher Demko and Elias Pettersson follow close behind, but whispers from the sim crowd suggest the overall team mark reflects a squad still hunting that elusive Cup thunder from last year.