"I've always wanted to be here": Thatcher Demko makes feelings known about extending his stay in Vancouver

The Vancouver Canucks extended Thatcher Demko to a three-year $25.5 million contract. The San Diego native has the third-best record as a goaltender for the club.

Demko is part of the core leadership group alongside captain Quinn Hughes, forwards Elias Pettersson and Brock Boeser. Demko opened up about his contract signing in an exclusive with Sportsnet before the Canucks' camp.

“I've always wanted to be here,” Demko said. “We've had some tough times, for sure, as a team the last handful of years. There's been some great times, but there's been some struggle at times.

"But for me, I was drafted here and I feel an immense responsibility to give everything I can to get this team to where it wants to go."

Demko's contract carries an annual average value of $8.5 million. Last season, because of injuries, he made just 23 starts. In the previous season, he propelled the team to a Pacific Division title on the back of his Vezina Trophy finalist performance of a 35-14-2 record.

The 2023-24 season was his second All-Star performance following the 2021-22 season, where he went 33-22-7 in 61 starts. Demko was also one of the goalies in contention for Team USA's three goalie spots at the 4 Nations Face Off, but missed out due to injuries.

Thatcher Demko opens up about his different offseason training

Thatcher Demko tore his popliteus muscle, which destabilized his knee and led to his missing training camp. His first start for the Canucks came in December. This offseason is different from last year's as he looks to make an impact.

“Yeah, we got to work pretty much right away,” Demko said. “I missed enough time last year that I didn't feel like I was really needing that much time off. You know, trying to explain what I was going through last year (with the popliteus injury), I can’t really do justice to it.

"It’s just such a breath of fresh air to be able to come into a season healthy, with a very clear mindset as far as what I needed to do, and having the freedom to go out and do it. It's been about five months of a really detailed and disciplined approach to get me in a good spot to be ready to go this year.”

It remains to be seen if Demko can get back into his prime this season. His form will also help the Canucks reach the playoffs that they missed by six points last season.