Canucks Nikita Tolopilo Could Be Something Special

Sometimes, you watch a game, and the result barely tells the story. Take Wednesday night in the Vancouver Canucks game against the Winnipeg Jets. It turned into a 3-2 overtime loss for the Canucks. On paper, it’s just another close game. In reality, it was Nikita Tolopilo showing flashes of something bigger.

Tolopilo is getting a huge chance with Thatcher Demko injured.

Tolopilo stopped 25 of 28 shots, kept his composure, and made Vancouver look like they had a chance even when the Jets were swarming. This is a guy who’s 25, filling in for a season-ending injury to Thatcher Demko, and he didn’t blink. Rebounds were handled, edges were sharp, and when Winnipeg pressed, he was steady. He was calm under fire.

But here’s the frustrating part: Tolopilo didn’t get much help. The Canucks had leads twice, and twice they lost them. Gabe Vilardi’s second-period equalizer? Not a matter of lack of effort, just one tiny split-second misstep in front of the net. Those are the little details that pile up against a team. The kind of plays Tolopilo can’t fix, no matter how sharp he is.

Look, you could argue the scoreline doesn’t favour Tolopilo. He still gave up three goals, including the overtime winner by Cole Perfetti at 1:37. But the context matters. He kept the game close, gave his teammates a chance to win, and looked like a goalie who could handle a heavier workload. For a young player in a high-pressure situation, that’s exactly the kind of performance coaches dream of.

It's a tussle for the Canucks’ crease between Tolopilo and Lankinen.

Now, Vancouver has a real decision to make. With Demko out, Tolopilo and Kevin Lankinen are essentially competing for the crease. The next game in Seattle is a test, and the short-term schedule means we’ll see how Adam Foote divvies up the duties. But if Tolopilo keeps showing this kind of composure, this kind of readiness, he’s staking a serious claim.

This season isn’t over, but the Canucks are starting to see something they didn’t know they had: a young goalie who can rise to the occasion, cover mistakes, and maybe, just maybe, grow into a cornerstone for the future. Tolopilo’s night in Winnipeg didn’t get him a win, but it did give him a spotlight—and a chance to prove he belongs.

The 25-year-old Tolopilo is now 3-3-2 with a 3.03 GAA and a .908 save percentage in 10 games for the Canucks this season. The question is, where did the Canucks find this guy? Given how the team is playing in front of him, he's been really, really good.