Vancouver Canucks goaltender Thatcher Demko ranked No. 6 overall on Paul Pidutti’s list of the top 20 active NHL goalies published to Daily Faceoff on Wednesday.
Demko, 28, posted strong numbers while battling nagging knee issues with the Canucks in 2023-24, going 35-14-2 with a .918 save percentage in 51 games during the regular season before suffering a knee injury in Game 1 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs that kept him out for the rest of the year (and could delay his 2024-25 season debut).
Pidutti, who goes by the handle @AdjustedHockey on social media, uses his yearly rankings as part of his model to determine which players are worthy of induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame. If Pidutti’s model deems a player to be as good or better than his most decorated contemporaries at any point in his career, it only strengthens their Hall of Fame case.
Demko is one of the NHL’s most talented and respected goaltenders. His performance in the 2023-24 season moved him up two spots in Pidutti’s rankings, with his new placement at No. 6 overall standing as the best of his NHL career to date.