PuckSleuth
60Not on an NHL roster · Goalie · Catches L
Nikita Tolopilo
Age 26 · 6'6" · 229 lb · Born in Minsk, BLR
Cap hit
$850K
0.8% of $104M cap
Term
1 yr
Through 2026-27, then UFA
Clause
None
Surplus value
—
needs 40 recent games
Contract details from our records; public announcement not yet matched
2025-26 regular season
GP
21
18 starts
Record
6-11-2
SV%
.881
GAA
3.61
Shots against
582
GSAx
-2.5
goals saved above expected
Game Score
-0.12
per game
Game log
Last 5 games · NHL API
| Game | Dec | SA | SV | GA | SV% | TOI | xGA | GSAx | HD saves | GS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 12@ ANA · W 4-3 | W | 27 | 24 | 3 | .889 | 64:50 | 3.54 | +0.54 | 5/6 | +0.54 |
| Apr 9@ LAK · L 4-1 | L | 26 | 22 | 4 | .846 | 56:18 | 2.49 | -1.51 | 0/0 | -1.51 |
| Apr 7vs VGK · L 2-1 | L | 29 | 27 | 2 | .931 | 58:19 | 3.77 | +1.77 | 5/5 | +1.77 |
| Apr 4vs UTA · L 7-4 | L | 24 | 18 | 6 | .750 | 58:21 | 2.30 | -3.70 | 3/4 | -3.71 |
| Apr 2@ MIN · L 5-2 | L | 38 | 34 | 4 | .895 | 57:17 | 3.45 | -0.55 | 4/4 | -0.55 |
Dec = decision (W, L, OTL; ND = started, no decision). HD saves = high-danger shots on goal stopped. GS = our Game Score.
Advanced metrics
2025-26 · 21 GP · 1,146 min · percentile vs. NHL goalies
16th percentile
44th percentile
36th percentile
90th percentile
80th percentile
39th percentile
17th percentile
3rd percentile
4th percentile
100th percentile
Expected goals come from our own model and rate every unblocked shot he faced by its chance of going in. High-danger shots are those worth 0.15 expected goals or more. Percentiles compare him with goalies who played 600 minutes that season. xGA/60 shows how hard his workload was, so its bar is grey.
Play styleBoom-or-bust stopper
Trait percentiles vs. NHL goalies · 2025-26
Tolopilo's numbers show a goalie who is elite on dangerous chances but struggles on routine shots and from game to game. His overall results are slightly below expected, as the weak spots outweigh the big-save strength.
- High-danger saves
- 99
- Routine saves
- 6
- Rebound control
- 59
- 5-on-5 saves
- 33
- PK saves
- 16
- Consistency
- 3
- Workload
- 7
Strengths
- High-danger saves rank in the 99th percentile, with a 0.775 save % on 89 shots.
- Rebound control sits at the 59th percentile, which is about average.
Watch-outs
- Routine saves rank in the 6th percentile, well below most NHL goalies.
- Quality starts land in just the 3rd percentile, at 28% of his starts.
- PK save % is in the 16th percentile, and 5-on-5 saves sit at the 33rd.
Similar style: Tristan Jarry (EDM), Samuel Montembeault (MTL)
Built from play-by-play and our expected goals model, compared with goalies who have 600+ minutes in the season.
Where his Game Score comes from
2025-26 · 21 GP
Season total -2.5, or -0.12 per game.
- Goaltending
- -2.5
Game Score gives credit for everything a player does in a game. Goals (1.0) and assists (0.7 primary, 0.5 secondary) count most; shots, blocks, hits, takeaways, penalties drawn, faceoff wins, killing penalties, and holding down the other team's chances add to it. Only mistakes subtract: goals against at 5-on-5, giveaways, penalties taken, faceoff losses, and allowing more chances than an average player would. A player who is there to defend or kill penalties is not marked down for not scoring. Goalies are measured by goals saved above expected.
Career stats
From the NHL's player records
| Season | Team | GP | GS | W | L | OTL | SV% | GAA | SO | SA | GA | GSAx |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | Vancouver Canucks | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | .885 | 2.15 | 0 | 26 | 3 | -0.2 |
| 2025-26 | Vancouver Canucks | 21 | 18 | 6 | 11 | 2 | .881 | 3.61 | 0 | 582 | 69 | -2.5 |
| Career | 2 seasons | 23 | 19 | 7 | 12 | 2 | .882 | 3.51 | 0 | 608 | 72 |
Seasons traded mid-year show one row per team. GSAx (goals saved above expected) is ours, from our expected goals model.
Latest news
Headlines from news outlets and team blogs
No news about him in the last 30 days.
Sentiment & chatter
Fans
—
Beat writers
—
Media
—
Fan, beat writer, and media scores, the 14-day trade chatter chart, and the latest mentions appear once sentiment scoring is switched on. Mentions are already being collected.
Recent Game Scores
Last 10 games · goals above average
Average -0.99 per game over these 10.
Age curve
NHL goalies · production index
At 26, goalies typically produce 100% of their peak (age 26).
From 24 seasons of NHL results, adjusted for league scoring and save percentage in each era. Shaded bars are the seasons left on his contract.
Contract by season
1 season left
| Season | Team | Cap hit | % of cap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | VAN | $850K | 0.8% |
UFA after 2026-27. $850K in cap hits left. % of cap uses each season's ceiling where the league has set one ($104M this season, $113.5M in 2027-28).