Done Deal: Canucks General Manager Patrik Allvin Announced the Addition of 29-yr-old Veteran Goalie to one and Half-year, Contract Worth…

The Vancouver Canucks have strengthened their goaltending depth by signing veteran netminder Kevin Lankinen to a one-year deal worth $875,000 for the 2024-25 season, as announced by general manager Patrik Allvin on Saturday.

This signing is seen as a precautionary move, given that the team’s starting goalie, Thatcher Demko, remains sidelined with no clear timeline for his return. While Demko continues to make progress in his rehab, his absence left the Canucks in need of added stability in net.

Lankinen will now team up with last season’s playoff standout, Arturs Silovs, as the two goalies listed on Vancouver’s NHL roster. Without this addition, the Canucks may have been forced to rely on a tandem of Silovs and Jiri Patera, a goalie who spent the last four seasons within the Vegas Golden Knights organization.

Throughout his NHL career, Lankinen has built a reputation as a dependable backup goaltender. The undrafted Finnish goalie first came to North America in 2018, signing with the Chicago Blackhawks. He made his NHL debut during the 2020-21 season, appearing in 69 games over two seasons in Chicago.

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In July 2022, Lankinen moved to the Nashville Predators, playing as a backup to Juuse Saros. Over his two seasons in Nashville, both under one-year contracts, he performed admirably. During the 2023-24 campaign, Lankinen recorded an 11-6-8 record in 24 games, with a 2.82 goals-against average, a .908 save percentage, and one shutout. These stats closely mirrored his career-best numbers from the previous season when he posted a 9-8-1 record with a 2.75 GAA and a .916 SV%.

Over the course of four NHL seasons, the 29-year-old Lankinen has played in 112 games, amassing a 45-43-12 record, a 3.07 GAA, a .905 save percentage, and three shutouts.