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Vancouver Canucks 2025–26 Report Card: Nikita Tolopilo
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- Vancouver Canucks 2025–26 Report Card: Nikita Tolopilo
Welcome to the 2025–26 installment of The Hockey News - Vancouver Canucks ' Player Report Card Series. Throughout the off-season, THN will conduct a deep dive into how each member of the Canucks performed throughout the 2025–26 season. Today's article will focus on goaltender Nikita Tolopilo .
Tolopilo's 2025–26 Season Review
NikitaTolopilo's season started with the Abbotsford Canucks as he took over the starting role afterArtūrs Šilovs was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins last July. Tolopilo startedone game for Vancouver during the 2024–25 season, making his NHL debut in a 2-1 victory over the San Jose Sharks . He also came on in relief for Kevin Lankinen in the Canucks' season finale against the Vegas Golden Knights , but thoseappearances were his only NHL experience up until this season.
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With Thatcher Demko going down with a lower-body injury in the middle of November,Tolopilo was called up to the big club with an opportunity to establish himselfas a NHL goaltender. His first NHL action of the season came in a chaotic 5–4 winover the Anaheim Ducks , in which he made 37 saves on 41 shots. He made threestarts during Demko's fall absence, going 2–1 with a .911 SV% and a 3.00GAA.
WhenDemko later suffered a hip injury that required surgery and caused him to missthe rest of the season, the Belarusian netminder was called up once again andwas finally given a chance to show what he could do with a full NHL workload.
Itended up being a tale of two halves for Tolopilo. Heading into the Olympicbreak, he posted a 3–3–1 record with a .910 SV%, a 3.12GAA, and one shutout. The highlights of the first half of hisseason included his first career shutout against the Ducks, ahighlight-reel stick save on Oliver Kapanen in the first period against the Montréal Canadiens , and a penalty-shot save in overtime against AustonMatthews and the Toronto Maple Leafs .
( Note:Tolopilo's shutout against the Ducks is not officially recorded as a shutoutbecause it was a split shutout. Lankinen made one save after Tolopilo hadto leave the game for three minutes due to concussion protocol. )
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Duringthe Olympic break, Tolopilo was sent down to Abbotsford to stay sharp until theNHL resumed play. He started off playing well, but it all came crumbling downin a Saturday night tilt against the Seattle Kraken . With the game tied 1–1 andthe first period winding down, the Kraken were on the power play when BobbyMcMann came down the left wing and harmlessly threw the puck on net. It caughtTolopilo off guard, trickled through his legs, and went in for an ugly goal.
Afterthat, the wheels fell off Tolopilo's season. Much of the confidence he hadbuilt throughout the year, and the trust the coaching staff had begun to havein him, appeared to disappear. He finished that game by allowing three more goals and even took adelay-of-game penalty. As a result, he lost the net to Lankinen.
Tolopilowouldn't start another game for exactly two weeks. In his return against the Calgary Flames , after spending that time on the bench, he allowed four goals on11 shots before being pulled early in the second period. He would make fivemore starts, going 1–4, with his lone victory coming against Anaheim,a team he finished 3–0 against during the season. After the Olympic break,Tolopilo posted a 3–8–1 record with an .856 save percentage and a 3.66goals-against average.
Tolopilofinished the season with a 6–11–2 record, an .881 save percentage, a 3.61goals-against average, a goals saved above expected of -7.5, and one shutout.
Mar 28, 2026; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Vancouver Canucks goaltender Nikita Tolopilo (60) guards his net against the Calgary Flames during the second period at Scotiabank Saddledome. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-Imagn Images
Thenumbers don't tell the whole story of Tolopilo's season. The netminder for thelast-place team in the NHL isn't exactly going to post stellar numbers. It alsodidn't help that the Canucks allowed 191.8 expected goals against, which ranked31st in the NHL, ahead of only the Chicago Blackhawks . There were nights whenthe Canucks lost handedly, such as onMarch 2 against the Dallas Stars , when he surrendered six goals on 37 shots but was arguably Vancouver's best player that night and on many other nightssimilar.
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TheCanucks also allowed the fourth-most shots in the league with 2,445, whichisn't going to be kind to any goaltender. Tolopilo is a big goalie at 6-foot-6and 229 pounds, and he relies heavily on his athleticism and lateral movementto make saves, such as his stop on Matty Beniers in mid-March and anotheroutstanding save on Vladimir Tarasenko against the Minnesota Wild on April 2.
However,Tolopilo's biggest weakness was dealing with clean straight-on shots. A lot ofthe goals he's given this season are on shots that beat him clean which isn'tsomething that should happen if you want to be an everyday NHL goalie. He has also struggled with rebound control attimes throughout the season.
Tolopilo's 2025–26 Letter Grade
Thetools are there for Tolopilo. The size, and athleticism, two facets NHL goaliesneed. But improving his consistency,ability to stop straight-on shots and his rebound control are some thingshindering him becoming an NHL backup. With all of that considered, Tolopiloearns a C grade for his season.
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Canucks 2025–26 Letter Grades
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