Chris Driedger Gives the Canucks’ Goalie Room an

Chris Driedger signing a professional tryout with the Vancouver Canucks isn't exactly the kind of move that gets anybody excited in August. It's a PTO. He's 32. He spent last season in the KHL, and his .897 save percentage in 23 games wasn’t exactly screaming “NHL comeback.” But there is something interesting about this move that goes beyond Driedger himself.

It tells us the Canucks aren't prepared to simply assume Thatcher Demko will be ready when they need him.

The Canucks Are Buying Themselves Some Time.

Demko is still rehabbing from hip surgery, and while the Canucks appear encouraged by his progress, there is no guarantee he'll be ready to start the season. Vancouver has already said it isn't operating on a rigid timeline with him. That's probably the right approach. The problem is that NHL teams don't get to wait forever. At some point, somebody has to stop the pucks.

Kevin Lankinen is likely to get the first opportunity if Demko isn't ready. But Driedger's arrival makes the situation more interesting by giving Vancouver another experienced option while also putting some pressure on Nikita Tolopilo. And pressure can be useful.

Tolopilo played 21 games for Vancouver last season and struggled, posting a .881 save percentage and a 3.61 goals-against average. That doesn't mean he's suddenly a bad goalie. It means the Canucks have more questions about him than they would like. Now he has somebody coming into camp who wants his job.

Sometimes Goalie Competition Is the Point.

This is where I think the Driedger signing could prove useful, even if he never plays a regular-season game for Vancouver. A PTO doesn't have to produce a player on the opening-night roster to be worthwhile.

Driedger knows the NHL. He has played 67 NHL games and owns a career .917 save percentage. His best years came with Florida, when he looked like a legitimate NHL starter before signing with Seattle.

That version of Driedger may be gone. He hasn't played an NHL game since 2023-24, and his KHL numbers last season weren't particularly impressive. But he doesn't have to become that goalie again. He just has to give Vancouver another option.

Can Driedger Make Tolopilo Better?

That's the part of training camp that gets overlooked. Sometimes a player doesn't need to win a job to have an impact on the player who already expects to have it. The Canucks don't know exactly when Demko will return. They don't know exactly what Lankinen will give them. They don't know whether Tolopilo is ready for a larger NHL role.

So they brought in another goalie and basically said: Let's find out. Maybe Driedger doesn't make the team. Maybe Tolopilo earns the backup job. Maybe Lankinen becomes the short-term starter until Demko returns.

But at least Vancouver isn't pretending it already knows the answers. For a team coming off a difficult season, that's probably a pretty sensible way to approach the crease.