Kiefer Sherwood is excited to have his former teammate joining the Vancouver Canucks.
After a month of speculation on whether or not a deal could actually be completed, the Canucks announced the signing of free agent goaltender Kevin Lankinen to a one-year contract on Saturday afternoon.
By bringing in Kevin Lankinen, it provides the Canucks with some stability between the pipes amid Thatcher Demko’s recovery from injury. There isn’t a timeline for Demko’s return, which could mean the team will now start the season with a tandem of Arturs Silovs and Kevin Lankinen.
Kiefer Sherwood was a teammate with Kevin Lankinen in Nashville last season and he was informed by Randip Janda before the players were told and he was reportedly very happy with the news.
Sherwood and Lankinen spent the last two seasons together in Nashville and faced their current team, Vancouver, in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs back in April, where they ultimately lost in six games.
It’s going to be an interesting battle during the remainder of training camp for who lands the two goaltending spots on the opening night roster. Assuming that Thatcher Demko isn’t ready by then, Kevin Lankinen and Arturs Silovs have the inside track, with Jiri Patera and Dylan Ferguson (PTO), being longshots, although the latter would need to sign a guaranteed contract for the 2024-25 season before opening night.
