It only took goaltender Kevin Lankinen 3 games to play his way into Thatcher Demko territory. Is that a fair comparison at this point? No, of course, it’s not. But it’s in the back of every Canucks fan’s mind, and possibly Canuck players and management as well. He is 2-0-1, with a 1.28 GAA and a .953 save percentage. Yup, Demko numbers.
The 29-year-old was born in Helsinki, Finland. He began his professional career in his home country, playing five seasons with Jokerit, HIFK, and Kookoo in Liiga, the country’s top professional league. He was never drafted into the NHL but signed with the Chicago Blackhawks as a free agent in 2018. He was assigned to Rockford, their AHL affiliate, where he played 19 games and went 7-8-4.
His biggest accomplishment, though, was playing for Finland’s national team at the 2019 IIHF World Championship, where he went 7-1, with a 1.50 GAA, .943 save percentage, and two shutouts in 8 games to lead Finland to first place. Now that’s stellar goaltending.
Lankinen’s 17 wins in 2020-21, with the Blackhawks, was second among NHL rookies. And second overall, in Blackhawks history, to Corey Crawford.
He signed as a free agent with the Nashville Predators in 2022. Over his two seasons, with the Preds, he posted a 20-14-1 record and a .912 save percentage, backing up Juuse Saros.
His one year, $875,000 contract could well prove to be the steal of the summer, for General Manager Patrik Allvin. The Canucks began targeting Lankinen soon after they learned that Demko wouldn’t be available to start the season. Word was at the time that the two sides were a ways apart to getting a deal done. But whatever it was that changed, and had Lankinen signing, has so far looked very good for Vancouver.
Cool, calm, and poised is the best way to describe him, as he protects the Canucks crease. And sure, he will have a bad game here and there. All goaltenders do, it’s just the nature of the beast. But for a stop gap as they await Demko’s return, they probably couldn’t have found a better one.
Quick summary here on the Canucks/Blackhawks game last night:
Kevin Lankinen picked up his 3rd straight start, facing the team that originally signed him. He stopped 30 of 33 shots en route to a 6-3 Canucks win.
Connor Garland, speaking post game to Sportsnet’s Dan Murphy, summed it up the best: “Tonight was pretty sloppy.” It definitely was at times, especially on defense.
J.T. Miller didn’t take any faceoffs, due to whatever is bothering him injury wise, but he led the way with a goal and two assists. Danton Heinen had a pair of goals, and Quinn Hughes picked up two assists.
The win was Vancouver’s third straight. They return home to face Sidney Crosby, and the Pittsburgh Penguins, on Saturday night at Rogers Arena.
