Canucks goalie Kevin Lankinen steps away from the team for 'personal reasons'

The Vancouver Canucks saw very few positives during the 2024/25 campaign, with the team falling well short of expectations, but one of those positives was goaltender Kevin Lankinen.

Despite being a late signing in the off-season, he ended up playing a key role given the health of Thatcher Demko, appearing in 51 games with a 2.62 GAA and a .902 save percentage in that time.

However, he's not been at the same level through 13 games this season, tallying a 3.63 GAA and an .880 save percentage, with the Canucks once again failing to hit their best form early in the season.

Now, out of nowhere, General Manager Patrik Allvin has announced that Lankinen will not accompany the team on their next road trip, stepping away from the team due to personal reasons.

In his stead, the Canucks will recall Jiri Patera from the Abbotsford Canucks in the AHL, bringing his 9 games of NHL experience, including one game this season with them to backup Demko.

It's unclear what exactly is happening behind the scenes for Lankinen, but sometimes, personal things simply get in the way of being your best on the ice, with the Canucks making the right decision to allow him some time off.

If this team are to bounce back and make a playoff push however, they'll need both Demko and Lankinen to be as close to 100% as possible for the majority of the season, and if they can find their best form, this is a team that could turn things around moving forward.