Between the pipes in his place will be Kevin Kankinen, Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet confirmed on Sunday.
Demko returned to the lineup Friday against the Columbus Blue Jackets in a backup role. It was the first time the Canucks starter was dressed for a game since April 21.
He suffered an injury to the popliteus muscle in his knee during the game and has been working his way back ever since.
When the 28-year-old netminder from San Diego, California, gets a start remains to be seen, but having Demko back in uniform is an important step, Tocchet said.
“He’s a leader on the team. He’s a different type of leader,” the coach said after morning skate Friday.
“The guy works awfully hard. He’s spent a lot of time by himself working out, he’s here at 7 a.m. working with one trainer. So I think the what it’s contagious to me is the hard work he does. The young guys see this stuff how dedicated he is. I see that really helps our locker room.”
Demko had a 35-14-2 record with a .918 save percentage, a 2.45 goals-against average and five shutouts in regular-season play last year and played in an All-Star game for the second time in his career.
Vancouver inked Lankinen to a one-year, $875,000 deal during training camp and he has split the crease with Silovs to start the season, with the pair backstopping the Canucks to a 14-7-4 record.
–With files from the Canadian Press.
