Canucks’ Kevin Lankinen makes his thoughts clear after returning from leave of absence

Kevin Lankinen nearly gave the Vancouver Canucks their second win on their California leg of the four-game road trip against the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday. The goaltender who made a return to the lineup after four days of absence due to personal reasons made 21 saves during the game.

Lankinen headed into the game without any practice and took the ice only on the morning of the game for a brief skate alongside his teammates. Speaking to Sportsnet's Ian McIntyre after the game on Saturday, he echoed optimism following his strong performance.

“All I want to say is I'm just really thankful to Adam and Patrik for offering me some time to stay with my family when they need me the most,” Lankinen said. “So I'm really thankful for that.

“I felt good out there. And that's what hockey is about — you’ve got to be able to perform. And I was happy to help the team. It’s too bad we couldn't get the win.”

Anze Kopitar started the scoring with a goal for the Kings at 17:19 in the first period. Evander Kane equalized for the visitors nearly 3 minutes into the second period. Neither team could find the game winner in the low-event game that went into overtime. Kings' Adrian Kempe scored at 1:02 in OT to take the win.

Lankinen stood out for the Canucks as he restricted the Kings to single-digit Dangerous Attempts on goal. The goaltender, who still needs to improve on his 3.50 Goals Against Average and .881 Save Percentage for the season, stated that he tried to keep his mind on the events on the ice.

“I trust my preparation," he said. "I trust the work that I've put in. I feel like I can perform, so I was just happy to help the team. Just too bad we couldn't get the win.”

Kevin Lankinen could be on the trade block after rise of prospect goalie

With Thatcher Demko out due to injury and Lankinen missing games, Canucks gave prospect goalie Nikita Tolopilo some gametime. He impressed in his very first game on the road against the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday, making 37 saves, and taking the win after the Canucks won 5-4. He conceded 3 goals on 24 shots on goal against the San Jose Sharks, two days later.

This prompted The Providence Patrick Johnston to start a discussion for a possible scenario where the Canucks are forced to trade Demko or Lankinen. He stated that Tolopilo's performances also put some pressure on the two goalies to perform.

General Manager Patrik Allvin was reported to have been open to hearing offers for his players last week. Lankinen was signed to a five-year $22.5 million contract extension by the Canucks last season.