Demko: 'Full confidence' I'll be back to 100%

Vancouver Canucks goaltender Thatcher Demko lifted the lid Thursday on the unique muscle injury that has sidelined him since April, saying he has no timeline for a return but is on a "great trajectory."

"When I first felt the injury, I obviously wasn't too sure what it was," he told reporters, including TSN's Farhan Lalji. "As we kind of dived into some research and things, it was a little ambiguous. It's been a little bit of a frustrating summer just trying to get some answers. Obviously we've talked to all the specialists that we can around the world.

"Sure, it's taking a little bit longer than obviously I would have liked. The last couple of weeks on the ice, I've been feeling a lot better. There's definitely some light at the end of the tunnel for me now."

Demko added: "I have full confidence that I'll be able to get back to 100%."

The 2024 Vezina Trophy finalist said he's been unable to find another hockey player who has dealt with the same issue. Reports emerged in August that Demko would miss training camp and Vancouver's preseason games with the ailment, though the team was hopeful he'd be ready for the regular season.

Demko was able to take shots from coaches in full pads on Thursday.

Demko last played in Game 1 of the Canucks' first-round series against the Nashville Predators. He played the entire contest, turning aside 22 out of 24 shots faced in the 4-2 victory.

The 28-year-old was listed as questionable to return to the series with a knee injury, which is believed to be different from the one that sidelined him for 14 regular-season games down the stretch but involves the same knee.

During the Canucks' second-round series against the Edmonton Oilers, head coach Rick Tocchet said his starting goalie had improved immensely, but Demko was ultimately unable to return and Vancouver fell in seven games.

"It hasn't been quite linear," Demko said when asked if he could've returned had the Canucks advanced. "Looking back, as a competitor, I think you kind of lie to yourself in a playoff situation, and I thought maybe I was a little bit farther ahead than I was. In hindsight, I do think that I would have been in a situation where I probably would have been able to kind of grit through it and maybe get out there and play in the conference final there.

"I'll say that I did hit a bit of a wall in the summer as far as the recovery went. ... Obviously that's why I'm in the situation that I'm in right now."

The California native also revealed that he underwent a minor surgery earlier in the summer to address an issue unrelated to his current injury.

Demko enjoyed a stellar 2023-24 campaign, posting a .918 save percentage and 2.45 goals against average to go along with a 35-14-2 record.