Driedger Gets a Tryout. Demko's Timeline Stays Murky.

The Canucks signed veteran goaltender Chris Driedger to a professional tryout agreement Thursday, the most direct acknowledgment yet that Thatcher Demko's recovery will not be resolved before training camp opens. Driedger gets a look; the organization gets a body in net while it waits on its starter.

Demko's situation has been the quiet weight of this entire offseason. The depth scoring, the Gallagher acquisition, Edler's return in a development role — all of it matters less if the crease is unsettled through October. I noted back in August that the injury list was the one variable the front office couldn't paper over with transactions, and goaltending sat at the top of that list then as it does now.

Driedger is a known commodity in this market — he has NHL experience and a history with the organization — so the tryout is not a blind audition. Whether he earns a backup role or simply pushes the competition at camp is a question for September. The Canucks open on the road in Edmonton on the 29th, and whoever is starting that night needs to be settled well before puck drop.

The broader picture hasn't changed: this team went 25-57 last season and is rebuilding around a core that still has real talent. Getting Demko back healthy and functional is worth more to the 2026-27 ceiling than most of the moves made this summer combined. Driedger buys time. That's the job right now.