Canucks Sign Goalie to Big Extension

The Vancouver Canucks have signed their surprise starting goalie to a lengthy contract extension.

Feb 8, 2025; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks goalie Kevin Lankinen (32) watches the flying puck against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the third period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images / Bob Frid-Imagn Images

The 4 Nations Face-Off has wrapped and teams around the NHL are returning to their normal duties, and the Vancouver Canucks are rewarding a key piece of their lineup. The Canucks announced that they have signed goalie Kevin Lankinen to a five-year contract extension, which will keep him in Vancouver through the 2029-30 season.

Lankinen’s contract will run the Canucks $4.5 million annually, for a total of $22.5 million. This is a great deal of job security for Lankinen, who really wasn’t supposed to be on the team heading into the 2024-25 season.

Vancouver Canucks General Manager Patrik Allvin announced today that the club has agreed to terms with goaltender Kevin Lankinen on a 5-year contract extension with a $4.5M AAV.

DETAILS | https://t.co/XniqSp5kLn pic.twitter.com/wZXI7rtVv7

— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) February 21, 2025

The Canucks brought Lankinen in on a one-year deal worth $875,000 when they learned starting goalie Thatcher Demko would not be healthy enough to start the season on time. Since the late-September signing, Lankinen has stolen the show in Vancouver.

“Kevin has done a great job for us in net this season,” Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin said. “Right from the start of the year, he has shown a strong desire to compete and a willingness to do whatever it takes to win hockey games. A good leader and teammate, we wouldn’t be in the position we are in right now without his strong play.”

In 34 games played, Lankinen has a 19-8-7 record with a .905 save percentage and 2.53 goals against average.

Those numbers made it clear that the Canucks were going to have a tough time negotiating a new deal with Lankinen.

Even since Demko made his season debut, Lankinen has still been the better goalie. Demko has a 6-6-3 record with a .891 save percentage in 17 games played. Lankinen has gone 6-4-4 with a .901 save percentage in 14 games played in that time.

The Canucks are barely holding onto playoff positioning in the Western Conference, with Lankinen doing a lot of the heavy lifting. With 26-18-11 record for 63 standings points, the Canucks are hopeful they still have a deep playoff run ahead of them.

By signing Lankinen to a five-year deal, however, the Canucks are looking to him as a key piece of their goalie duo for the future. He’ll be 35 when the contract ends.

Demko has one more year remaining on his contract after the 2024-25 season at $5 million against the salary cap. It will be interesting to see how the Canucks decide to handle their goalie situation moving forward.

Can Demko stay healthy and earn a new deal like Lankinen? Or is Lankinen their starter o the future?

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