Where would the Vancouver Canucks be without Kevin Lankinen? That has been one of the more valuable signings not only for the Canucks but throughout the rest of the league. He has proven to be a great backup goalie, having been in Chicago with the Blackhawks and last year with the Nashville Predators. There were times in Chicago when he split starting duties. However, his play this season was a big reason why he was named to Finland’s Four Nations Face-off team.
For his career, Lankinen has a 2.93 GAA and a .905 save percentage. This season with the Canucks, he has a record of 19-9-7 in 33 starts and 35 appearances with a 2.52 GAA and a .907 save percentage. He has set a career-high for wins for 19. The most he had in a season was 17, which was back in 2020-21.
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Well, those numbers earned Kevin Lankinen a new five-year deal with an AAV of $4.5 million. Lankinen is no longer wondering where he will be playing at the end of the season. Remember he was signed by the Canucks right before the regular season started because of the injury to Thatcher Demko. The Canucks goaltending was an issue entering the season. It still is now, but Lankinen has brought stability to the position.
He also earned himself a full no-move clause for the first two years of the deal and a modified no-trade clause for the final three years. This was the backup plan for Demko, who has one year left at $5 million.
TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger joined Flames Nation and was asked about Demko’s future with the Canucks and what the deal means for Lankinen and the Canucks moving forward.
NHLRumors.com Transcriptions
Darren Dreger: “I think a lot of it, and that’s being respectful of what Kevin Lankinen has provided to the Vancouver Canucks, because they pulled this guy off a scrap heap. Who’s kidding, Who? I mean the right place at the right time if you’re Kevin Lankinen. But in the absence of Thatcher Demko, he gave them quality goaltending and without quality goaltending, the Vancouver Canucks are in a real ugly fight right now coming into the final push here.
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So I would say that he’s earned this deal. It was interesting, though, so I remember checking in before the Four Nations break with the agents Todd Diamond and Mark Gandler and asking where you are in the process. And the response was, yeah, you know what, We’re kind of on and off. We’re having preliminary talks that kind of go back all the way back to mid-January. So, but nothing that would be considered on the front burner. And then it sounds like, in the last couple of days, Patrik Allvin and the Vancouver Canucks said, Okay, we better get this done.
And now were they going to do that anyway? Do they have internal information on Thatcher Demko that we haven’t been apprised of yet? I don’t know. But when I think of the comps, I mean, based on what these other guys have signed for, Joey Daccord, Mackenzie Blackwood, and Logan Thompson just got their deal done. You had (Ukka-Pekka) Luukkonen. There were a number of comps that the agents were able to push to management Vancouver and say, Okay, well, five years is the term that everyone else seems to be comfortable with, so we’re good with that.
I think he actually would have wanted a little bit more money, believe it or not. I think five times five would have probably been what the player had started at, and then he comes back at four and a half. So I think it’s a pretty good deal if you’re Kevin Lankinen.
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So the Vancouver Canucks feel that Kevin Lankinen could be the guy moving forward over Thatcher Demko. Again, do they feel Demko is worth a pay raise if he keeps getting injured? It would just be the situation the Anaheim Ducks are going through with John Gibson. Even with a rising salary cap, no team wants to go through that.
Kevin Lankinen earned his flowers and the money he was offered. Let’s see if he can get the Canucks in the playoffs.”
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