Canucks Summer Faceoff: Which is more likely – Demko 50 starts or Chytil 70 games?
Less than a month away from training camp, it’s time to start thinking about the way the 2025-26 season may unfold for members of the Vancouver Canucks in JPat’s Canucks Summer Faceoff.
For the second straight year, CanucksArmy is conducting a late-summer thought exercise. All week, we will present a pair of options and ask you which is more likely to occur. Without the benefit of a crystal ball, of course, it’s impossible to know how things will go. So we will present cases for both scenarios, and we’re looking for your gut reaction to which one is more likely to happen by season’s end.
Thatcher Demko makes 50 starts or Filip Chytil plays 70 games?
Demko
Only twice in his six full seasons in the NHL has Thatcher Demko made 50 starts in a season. His high-water mark is 61 in the 2021-22 season, and he started 51 times in 2023-24. Last season, however, the 29-year-old San Diego, CA native was limited to just 23 starts in goal. The reasons for that were well documented as three separate injuries kept Demko on the sidelines.
Reports this summer suggest Demko is fully healthy and has been training for months now to be ready for the start of the new season in October. That’s a huge piece of the equation. The other part is how much do the Canucks want to lean on Demko with the very capable Kevin Lankinen also looking for the net? So for Demko to reach 50 starts next season, he needs to be available far more than he was last season, and new head coach Adam Foote has to look at him as the unquestioned number one option who is going to be viewed as the organizational workhorse.
Chytil
In Filip Chytil’s case, suiting up for 70 games feels ambitious for a guy who played just 15 times after being acquired by the Canucks in late January. But it’s important to note that the 25-year-old had played 41 games for the Rangers before being moved in the JT Miller deal. So he had a full and healthy first half to the season. But a dangerous high check from Chicago’s Jason Dickinson on March 15th led to a concussion that forced Chytil to be shut down for the season. And make no mistake, the repeated head injuries he has sustained are a massive red flag. But it has to be pointed out that Chytil does have a pair of 70+ games under his belt and two other seasons in which he suited up 60 times.
He logged 75 games in his first full NHL season in 2018-19 and appeared in 74 games in 2022-23 when he produced career highs with 22 goals and 45 points. While there are plenty of question marks surrounding Chytil, remember that he appeared on the ice with his teammates for a couple of late-season practices and said at his year-end media availability that he felt good and looked forward to a full summer of training. So while his brief time in Vancouver was full of frustration, the Czech native headed into the offseason with reasons to feel optimistic about his future.
Which is more likely to happen?
With a condensed schedule, the demands on NHL goalies are going to be immense next season. Looking to Thatcher Demko to start 50 games may be too big an ask. It’s quite possible that less is more in terms of keeping Demko fresh and healthy so that he’s able to make it through the grind of an NHL season unscathed. On the surface, perhaps a 46-36 split of starts for Demko and Lankinen makes the most sense.
As for Chytil, it’s just so difficult to know how he’s going to react to contact every night out. Putting the bar at 70 games allows some wriggle room for Chytil to miss some action over the course of a gruelling season and still hit the threshold. Demko’s ability to make 50 starts depends on both his health and the coach’s final call, whereas Chytil simply needs to stay healthy.
Verdict
Filip Chytil plays 70 games for the Canucks next season.
What do you think, Canucks fans? What’s your verdict: Will Thatcher Demko start 50 games or will Filip Chytil play 70 games?
