Canucks place G Demko on IR; recall D Mancini from AHL
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The Vancouver Canucks placed goaltender Thatcher Demko on the injured reserve, it was announced on Sunday.
Demko was injured prior to the 4 Nations Face-Off against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Feb. 8. He started the game but played for only 10 minutes before exiting with a lower-body injury.
The 29-year-old goalie is considered week-to-week and is unavailable for the four games remaining on Vancouver's road trip. Kevin Lankinen got the start on Saturday against Vegas while backup Arturs Silovs starts against Utah Sunday.
Demko made his season debut on Dec. 10 after missing the first two months of the season rehabbing from an injury suffered during Game 1 of the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Nashville Predators. He said in the off-season he was dealing with a rare muscle injury. During the regular season, he went 35-14-2 with a .918 save percentage and 2.45 GAA, earning a Vezina Trophy nomination.
In 17 games this season, Demko is 6-6-3 with an .891 save percentage and 2.87 goals-against average.
He is signed through next season with a cap hit of $5 million.
On Friday, the Canucks signed Lankinen to a five-year, $22.5 million contract extension with average annual value of $4.5 million. In 35 games this season, Lankinen is 19-9-7 with a .907 save percentage and 2.52 GAA.
Lankinen inked a one-year, $875,000 contract in training camp with Vancouver after previous stops with Chicago and Nashville.
Canucks recall Mancini
The Canucks recalled defenceman Victor Mancini from AHL Abbotsford on Sunday.
Mancini, 22, was acquired by the Canucks on Jan. 31 along with centre Filip Chytil and a conditional 2025 first-round pick in the trade that sent forward J. T. Miller, defenceman Erik Brännström and the rights to defenceman Jackson Dorrington to the New York Rangers.
Drafted in the fifth round of the 2022 NHL Draft by New York, Mancini made his NHL debut with the Rangers on opening night this season against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
He had one goal and four assists this season with New York and 10 points in 23 games with the AHL's Hartford Wolf Pack.
With Abbotsford, he has one assist in five games.