In 2014, Lankinen signed a three-year contract with HIFK.[3] In the 2015 playoffs, he participated in the longest game in Liiga's history, lasting 134 minutes and 14 seconds. His team won 2–1 and advanced to the quarterfinals.[4]
In the summer of 2015, Lankinen participated in the New York Islanders development camp.[5]
During the 2015–16 season, Lankinen played alongside Ville Husso, playing 22 games in the regular season, as well as three in the playoffs as his team won silver medals.[6] During the 2016–17 season, Lankinen was a secondary goaltender alongside the more experienced Niklas Bäckström, but due to Bäckström's injuries, he became the primary goaltender and played in 42 games, seven of which were shutouts, the most in the league that season.[7]
During the 2017–18 season, Lankinen was injured and unable to play for a large portion of the season.[8] However, he made a successful comeback by playing 15 games in the regular season with four shutouts and a save percentage of 94.58 percent. His goals against average (GAA) was 1.33, the lowest in the league that season. During the playoffs, he played as the primary goaltender for 13 games with a save percentage of 93.56 percent,[9] helping his team win bronze medals. He was in the running for the Urpo Ylönen trophy, which is awarded to the best goaltender of the season, alongside Veini Vehviläinen from Oulun Kärpät and Dominik Hrachovina from Tappara,[10] but the award went to Vehviläinen.
In his second season with the Blackhawks' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs, in the 2019–20 season, Lankinen made 21 appearances, earning eight wins and represented the IceHogs as the teams' lone representative at the 2020 AHL All-Star Game. On 5 March 2020, Lankinen was ruled out for the remainder of the 2019–20 season after undergoing shoulder surgery, with a recovery period of five months.[12]
On 19 January 2021, Lankinen made his NHL debut, losing 5–4 in overtime to the Florida Panthers.[13] On 22 January, Lankinen earned his first NHL win in a 4–1 win against the Detroit Red Wings.[14] His first NHL shutout came on 17 February, in the Blackhawks' 2–0 win over the Detroit Red Wings.[15] His 2020—21 season record was 17–14–5.
During the 2021—22 season, Lankinen served as the backup to Marc-André Fleury. Lankinen struggled to begin the season, not recording his first win until 7 November 2021, in a game against the Nashville Predators. After Fleury was traded to the Minnesota Wild, Lankinen became the starter, leading the team to a 5–9–3 record following the trade. He ended the season with a 8–15–6 record and a 3.50 goals against average.
Nashville Predators
As a free agent from the Blackhawks, on 14 July 2022, Lankinen was signed to a one-year, $1.5 million contract with the Nashville Predators.[16] He was brought in to serve as a backup to Juuse Saros. On 3 March 2023, the Predators signed Lankinen to a one-year, $2 million contract extension.[17] Across his two seasons in Nashville, Lankinen posted a 20–14–1 record and a .912 save percentage.
Vancouver Canucks
On 21 September 2024, Lankinen agreed to a one-year, $875,000 contract with the Vancouver Canucks.[18] On 1 December, Lankinen recorded a 5–4 overtime win over the Detroit Red Wings, becoming the first goaltender in NHL history to win 10 consecutive road games to begin a season.[19]
Lankinen likes to read and names Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari as his favourite book. Another favourite of his is The Dirt – an autobiography of Mötley Crüe.[21] Lankinen has opened a Facebook-based book club with Finnish publisher WSOY.[22]
