The Vancouver Canucks should consider themselves lucky in the goaltending department, as they currently have Thatcher Demko, Kevin Lankinen, and Artūrs Šilovs within their organization. Year after year, the team receives solid goaltending regardless of any injuries or issues that arise. It’s been this way virtually since Roberto Luongo suited up for his first game as a Canuck. However, one of the negatives that come with having multiple great goaltenders is not being able to play them both. After the events of the 2024–25 season, Vancouver has found themselves in a bit of a goaltending conundrum. 

Demko is the goaltender who has been with the Canucks the longest, having been selected 36th overall by the team in the 2014 NHL Draft. Widely recognized within the fanbase as the “goaltender of the future” early on, Demko made his mark particularly during the 2020 Bubble Playoffs, in which he extended his team’s postseason run to Game 7 of the Pacific Division Finals with a .985 SV% and a 0.64 GAA. He finished second in voting for the Vezina Trophy in 2023–24 after registering a 2.45 GAA and five shutouts in 51 games played. 

Injuries forced Demko to the sidelines for the better part of March 2024 to December 2024, as well as parts of 2025. Because he missed so much time, trade talks began to catch fire, especially given the play of Lankinen and Šilovs. Having been brought in only a couple of weeks before the start of the 2024–25 season, Lankinen was a new face within the organization, but quickly established himself as a force in the net. He shattered career highs in his 51 games played with the Canucks, logging a 2.62 GAA and a .902 SV% as well as four shutouts. As a result, Vancouver signed him to a five-year contract extension in February. 

Lankinen’s extension was one of a couple dominoes that helped the Demko trade rumours start circulating. The other was Šilovs, an extremely clutch goaltender who rose to fame during the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs. He slotted in for the injured Demko and Casey DeSmith in Game 4 of the Canucks’ first-round series against the Nashville Predators, backstopping the team to a Game 7 defeat in the Pacific Division Finals. While his regular season numbers with Vancouver dipped a bit, he came up big for the Abbotsford Canucks during their five-round 2025 Calder Cup run. He made 672 saves in 24 games played and logged five shutouts — three of which were in series-clinching wins. These efforts resulted in the goaltender being named MVP of the playoffs. 

Why The Canucks Should Sign Thatcher Demko To An Extension On July 1The Vancouver Canucks have quite a few important decision to make during the 2025 off-season. On top of signing free agents, Vancouver can sign extensions with some key players, including goaltender Thatcher Demko. While the Canucks will have a year to lock up the 2024 Vezina runner-up, agreeing to a new contract with Demko sooner rather than later is the better option. 

Having these two goaltenders step up in opportune times resulted in Demko’s name being sent around the rumour mill. With a stacked goaltending cabinet, it felt like moving a goaltender would be inevitable for the Canucks. However, earlier today, TSN’s Darren Dreger noted that this may not be the case anymore — at least, not for Demko. 

“It changed a little bit as today unfolded,” Dreger said about Demko’s situation on OverDrive earlier today. “It does sound like progress is being made on a multi-year extension.” 

Adding to this, Dreger noted that if Vancouver goes down the extension route for Demko, then trading Šilovs would probably be their next best option, seeing as his stock is currently sky-high. Canucks General Manager Patrik Allvin was asked about the Calder Cup Playoff MVP earlier today in a media availability, to which he didn’t quite give a solid answer. 

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“I’m happy for Arty, we know that he’s a really good goalie and this is just justifying that,” he said of his performance in the AHL playoffs. “That being said, we’ve still got a couple of good goalies in the system with Tolopilo and Ty Young that are more than ready to play as well. We’ll see here over the next couple of days, where things go with Thatcher and we’ll make decisions after that.” 

Vancouver’s goaltending situation may become clearer once the 2025 NHL Draft and free agency period pass, as that’s when most of the NHL’s moves will occur. 

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NHL free agency is less than a week away, and UFA players will be hotly pursued. But there’s another group of players – RFAs – who will not only get interest from their current teams but who also could technically be offer-sheet targets from others.

That said, we’re not suggesting any of the RFAs below will sign an offer sheet. That process is quite rare, and we might not see a single offer sheet get tendered this summer. With that disclaimer out of the way, let’s list the top six RFAs this year, listing them in alphabetical order:

Evan Bouchard, D, Edmonton Oilers

Bouchard’s regular-season numbers dipped last year from his career highs in goals, assists and points in 2023-24, but the 25-year-old still put up 53 assists and 67 points in 82 games. His seven goals and 23 points in 22 playoff games also were very solid. Thus, Bouchard is bound to get a massive raise on the $3.9 million he earned this past season.

The Oilers are relatively tight to the salary cap ceiling, with $16.2 million in cap space this summer after trading Evander Kane to the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday. That has led some to speculate Bouchard could be offer-sheeted, but Edmonton fans shouldn’t be too worried. Oilers management will match any offer sheet Bouchard receives. 

He’s Edmonton’s most important blueliner, is still not yet in his prime and wants to win a Stanley Cup. His salary will easily more than double, but he’s deserving of that kind of raise, and Oilers GM Stan Bowman should happily give it to him.

Morgan Geekie, C, Boston Bruins

The 26-year-old Geekie had a breakout season in 2024-25, generating 33 goals and 57 points in 77 games. Those totals are career bests in his six-year NHL career. Geekie earned $2 million in each of the past two seasons, so he deserves a big raise on a multi-year contract extension.

The Bruins are retooling on the fly, but don’t kid yourself – Geekie is a core component for Boston for the short term and long term. The Bruins were a bottom-five team in the league on offense last season, so they need all the help they can get producing goals. Geekie can be a huge help in that department, and Boston has more than enough cap space to accommodate his next salary. The team and player can’t overcomplicate this.

Matthew Knies, LW, Toronto Maple Leafs

Like Geekie, Knies also had a breakout season last year, posting 29 goals and 58 points for the Leafs. Those numbers dwarfed his previous career highs of 15 goals and 35 points set in 2023-24. He did so while being one of the best bargains in the NHL at a salary of $925,000. 

Knies has already shown the potential to be a premier power forward, not only for Toronto but in the entire NHL. It’s up to him whether he wants a long-term contract extension or a bridge deal that walks him toward a bigger potential payday two or three years from now. But there’s no question he’s one of the Maple Leafs’ most crucial components next year and for many years after that. He will be handsomely compensated accordingly.

JJ Peterka, LW, Buffalo Sabres

Peterka has been one of the NHL’s more consistent young wingers in the past two years, combining to produce 55 goals and 118 points for Buffalo in that span. His 68 points this past season was a career high. As such, he’s become one of the Sabres’ most important players, and his 2024-25 salary of $855,834 will be left in the dust by his next contract.

There have been rumblings that Peterka isn’t interested in remaining in Buffalo, so of all the RFAs in this list, he may be the one most susceptible to an offer sheet. He also could be traded by Sabres GM Kevyn Adams. But one way or another, Peterka will be paid much more money than he’s earned thus far in his NHL career. His current employer – or his next – will enthusiastically foot the bill for the 23-year-old’s services.  

Marco Rossi, C, Minnesota Wild

Rossi had an outstanding second full season at the NHL level, setting new career highs in goals (24), assists (36) and points (60) in 82 games. But in the playoffs, he was barely used, averaging just 11:08 of ice time, setting off speculation he wouldn’t be long with the Wild.

Even if that’s true, the 23-year-old will get a bump from the $863,334 he earned this past year. What Rossi lacks in size, he makes up for in creativity, and his skill set will be highly valued by more than a few teams, guaranteeing his bank account will be stuffed with money beginning next year.

NHL Rumor Roundup: Latest On Mitch Marner, Sam Bennett And Marco RossiRecent speculations suggest Mitch Marner might consider signing a short-term contract instead of a long-term deal. 

Gabriel Vilardi, C, Winnipeg Jets

At 25, Vilardi set new personal bests in goals (27), assists (34) and points (61) this past season. He was already earning a decent amount at a $3.4375-million cap hit.

Vilardi plays on a high-octane Jets team that’s one of the NHL’s most potent offensive squads. Winnipeg has about $24.46 million in cap space, so they can give Vilardi the raise he deserves. There’s little question Vilardi will be a Jet once again next year and that he’ll be a vital part of Winnipeg’s push to win a Cup for many campaigns to come.

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The 2025 NHL Draft is now just days away, and the Anaheim Ducks hold the tenth overall selection after dropping two spots, as they had the eighth-best odds of winning the Draft Lottery. Along with their top pick to be made on Friday, they have eight more picks spread throughout rounds 2-7 on Saturday.

The upcoming tenth overall pick will mark the seventh consecutive time the Ducks will have selected in the top ten of a draft, and they’re hoping it’s the last, as they have repeatedly stated they intend to challenge for a playoff spot in the 2025-26 season.

The Ducks' scouting staff has traditionally ignored consensus when making their selections since Pat Verbeek took over as general manager in 2022.

With his first selection as an NHL GM, Verbeek selected Pavel Mintyukov (10th overall in 2022). Mintyukov was his most “chalk” pick at the top of a draft, as he was consistently ranked between 10 and 12 by most media outlets.

In 2023, Verbeek drafted Leo Carlsson (2nd in ’23), surprising many as he passed on consensus number two player in that draft, Adam Fantilli, after Fantilli won the Hobey Baker as a freshman at the University of Michigan.

In 2024, Verbeek seemingly went way off the board with his top pick by drafting Beckett Sennecke (3rd in ’24) from the Oshawa Generals of the OHL. Sennecke was ranked as high as ninth (Elite Prospects) and as low as 16th (FC Hockey) by major media outlets heading into the 2024 NHL Draft.

Consensus rankings and mocks heading into the 2025 draft have the Ducks most commonly selecting a player in the range of Roger McQueen, Radim Mrtka, Victor Eklund, and Kashawn Aitcheson.

The biggest questions pertaining to the Ducks' tenth overall pick are whether or not they are looking to trade it in a deal to improve their current roster, and if they aren’t, are they preparing to make an off-the-board selection again? If they do go against consensus, who might they be targeting?

Logan Hensler

Coming into the 2024-25 season, Hensler was widely considered a top-three defenseman in this draft class and a relatively surefire top-ten pick.

He’s big (6-foot-2, 196 pounds), mobile, displays great defensive fundamentals, and has shown flashes of what can become a serviceable offensive contributor from the blueline. So what happened?

Hensler was born in late 2006, so he made the transition to the University of Wisconsin to start his collegiate career. He scored 12 points (2-10=12) in 32 games, as both he and his Wisconsin Badgers (13-21-3) disappointed in 2024-25.

For some players, the transition from the USHL to the NCAA isn’t always as smooth as it is for players like Macklin Celebrini or Artyom Levshunov. There’s often a learning curve. But Hensler’s talent remains, and he has a very NHL translatable skillset.

Hensler is being ranked anywhere between 15 and 26 by the media’s draft experts, but a team like Anaheim could look beyond his 2024-25 output and project him as a talented piece to their pipeline. Hensler’s game would complement the bevy of offensive talent on the left side of the current Ducks blueline.

Lynden Lakovic

Lakovic was the captain and leading scorer of the worst team in the WHL in 2024-25 despite missing seven weeks with a lower-body injury.

He possesses every physical tool one craves in a hockey player, but many have questioned the toolbox. Within an NHL frame (6-foot-4, 190 pounds), Lakovic is a tremendous skater, fluid and explosive. He’s a puck transporter with tremendous hands and a wicked release that he used to score 27 goals in 47 games this season, and he can break down defenders one-on-one.

The drawbacks are present when he doesn’t have the puck on his stick. His engagement is lacking at times, he doesn’t find soft ice well, and he has a questionable drive to win pucks back. He’s raw.

Lakovic’s skillset is reminiscent of 2024 third-overall pick Beckett Sennecke’s, so the Ducks clearly like players of that mold. If they feel he has more to offer in terms of intangibles, a selection with the tenth overall pick wouldn’t be unheard of.

Bill Zonnon

This one is far more off the board than the first two, but Zonnon seems to check every box Verbeek values in his players. Zonnon is big, smart, competitive, skates well, and gets to the middle of the ice.

Zonnon is ranked as high as 13 and as low as 34 among public scouts after a productive 2024-25 campaign that saw him finish seventh in the QMJHL in scoring with 83 points (28-55=83) in 64 regular season games and add 16 points (8-8=16) in 13 playoff games.

He is a versatile forward who can produce and provide an impact from any role within a depth chart. His motor alone raises his floor, and his hockey IQ raises his ceiling.

Ducks director of amateur scouting and assistant general manager Martin Madden seems to have an affinity for players in Zonnon’s mold, especially so if they play in the QMJHL. The Ducks walk away from most drafts with a player akin to Zonnon, but Zonnon would have the most upside of those similar players (Nathan Gaucher, Maxim Masse, Nico Myatovic).

Honorable Mentions

Carter Bear, Justin Carbonneau, Vaclav Nestrasil, Blake Fiddler

Photo Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

In a surprising but polarizing move earlier today, the Vancouver Canucksdealt a fourth-round selection in the 2025 NHL Draft for former Edmonton Oilers forward Evander Kane. Kane, who is originally from Vancouver, has already expressed his excitement in returning to play in his hometown. 

“It’s an honour to become part of an organization and team I grew up watching as a kid,” he wrote on X. “Vancouver is a city that lives and breathes hockey, I’m looking forward to the opportunity to play in front of my hometown as I did many years ago as a Vancouver Giant.” 

Many fans have mixed reviews on Kane’s arrival in Vancouver. Despite the forward’s ability to produce in a middle-six role as well as shift the tone in which a team performs at, Kane isn’t getting any younger. The 2025–26 season, which is also the last of his current $5.125M AAV contract, will be his 16th NHL season. This doesn’t include the injuries that have plagued him especially in the past few seasons. Still, Canucks management seems to have faith that Kane will change the way their team plays. 

“I think every team is looking to be hard to play against, and for us, with the group we have here, when a player like this becomes available to the cost, we felt we had a chance to upgrade our top nine, mid-six, and become a harder team to play against,” Canucks General Manager Patrik Allvin explained in a media availability on Wednesday. “The way his contract was structured, he had a preferred 15 teams to go to, and Vancouver was his preferred destination.” 

Something Allvin notes that Kane can bring to Vancouver with him is experience. Throughout an NHL career that has seen him play for five different teams, Kane has logged almost 100 Stanley Cup Playoff games. In this span of time, he scored 32 goals and 23 assists. 

“To have a player that is on a one-year deal get a chance to come home and after two back-to-back years in the Stanley Cup Finals with the experience playing with [Leon] Draisaitl and [Connor] McDavid and a good team in Edmonton, means alot to have an excited player come here to Vancouver and provide the spark and juice we need,” Allvin added.

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One other thing that Allvin touched on was Kane’s off-ice antics. Throughout his career, the 33-year-old has caught heat for a variety of scandals that have made the Canucks fan base wary of acquiring him. Canucks legend Trevor Linden even weighed in on the topic earlier today while on Global News. 

“You talk about the dressing room and there’s certainly been those issues throughout Evander’s past. Having said that, he’s a guy that can bring a certain type of hockey to that locker room,” Linden said on a morning segment. “For Edmonton to trade him to a division rival is interesting.” 

“I think the past is the past with Evander,” Allvin explained regarding how he thinks the forward has grown as a person. “The last couple of years in Edmonton, I think he contributed a lot to the off-ice stuff and helping out in the society there. Having three kids here now, I think he’s matured. I do believe that this gives us a chance and gives him a chance to see if this is a fit.” 

Fans will have to wait for the 2025–26 season to begin to see how the Kane experiment goes. In the meantime, the 2025 NHL Draft is only two days away, while the 2025 free agency period opens up on July 1. 

Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, be sure to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum.