"Just retire bro" "Why sign Lankinen otherwise": NHL fans react as Vancouver Canucks places Thatcher Demko on IR

The Vancouver Canucks placed goalie Thatcher Demko on injured reserve on Sunday due to a lower-body injury. He is listed as week-to-week and will miss at least four more games.

Demko has played 17 games this season, with a 6-6-3 record, one shutout, a 2.87 goals-against average and a .891 save percentage. In his absence, Arturs Silovs served as the backup to Kevin Lankinen in Vancouver's 3-1 loss to Vegas on Saturday.

B/R Open Ice shared the news on X, writing,

"The Canucks have placed Thatcher Demko on IR."

Soon, fans reacted to Demko's injury news. Some were frustrated, while others were surprised.

"Just retire bro 🙏," one fan wrote.

"He done ? Why sign Lankinen otherwise," another fan said.

"Demko is a hard guy to figure out. It almost feels like he's been playing mind games with management & fans, with all his bumps and bruises. Maybe forcing himself to get traded. Or maybe he's just truly injury prone and his career is shortening by the day," a fan said.

Here are some more reactions from fans:

"Pretty sure Allvin and co. are gonna be looking to move him away this offseason. Sad, but injuries have derailed a Vezina calibre goalie😭," a fan responded.

"Hate to say but he’s turning into Ben Bishop. One of the best goalies in the league but just can’t stay healthy," another fan said.

"Time to pull a Vegas. Bring him back in the playoffs and use the money to bring in more scoring!" a fan shared.

Demko's injury is a setback for the Canucks. They will need to rely on Lankinen and Silovs until he returns.

Vancouver Canucks lost to Golden Knights on Saturday

The Vancouver Canucks lost 3-1 to the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena. Canucks coach Rick Tocchet was frustrated with his team's errors in crucial moments.

"Somebody would have a puck, and we'd ice a puck like we weren't skiing with it," Tocchet said. "I don't know if we're nervous or nobody was supporting the puck... (that) was frustrating. ... I don't know if it's the two weeks off or the rust."

Jake DeBrusk tapped in a pass from Kiefer Sherwood to give Vancouver Canucks a 1-0 lead at 6:22 of the second period. Vegas tied the game 1-1 at 11:02 when Ivan Barbashev scored on a rebound after Victor Olofsson's tip-in attempt.

Brandon Saad put Vegas ahead 2-1 just 18 seconds into the third period. Tomas Hertl scored an empty-net goal at 19:29 to secure the win. Kevin Lankinen made 32 saves for Canucks.