Canucks clear cap space by moving Demko to LTIR
Vancouver placed goaltender Thatcher Demko on long-term injured reserve, general manager Patrick Allvin announced in a statement.
Demko was already ruled out for the season after the team announced he required hip surgery at the end of January. The 30-year-old goaltender has not played since Jan. 10, when he left midway through a Canucks loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
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The move immediately gives the Canucks $3.82 million in cap space, but the plan is to eventually place Demko on season-ending LTIR once approved, per The Athletic‘s Thomas Drance.
When Demko is on season-ending LTIR, Vancouver will then get full relief of his $5 million cap hit, Drance adds.
The extra money could come in handy for Friday’s trade deadline.
Demko went 8-10-1 with a .897 save percentage, a 2.90 goals-against average and one shutout this season.
The Canucks are expected to be sellers on Friday as they sit dead last in the NHL with an 18-35-7 record.