Tolopilo’s September 27 waiver placement opens a possible route to Abbotsford, but clearance and reassignment are separate steps.
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Nikita Tolopilo’s placement on waivers on September 27 gives other NHL clubs an opportunity to claim the Vancouver goaltender before a possible assignment to the minors. It does not, on its own, confirm his departure from the organization or an assignment to Abbotsford.
Vancouver claimed Leevi Meriläinen from Ottawa on September 25, adding another goaltender ahead of the season.
For Tolopilo, the immediate question is whether another club submits a successful claim. If he goes unclaimed, Vancouver can assign him to its AHL affiliate. Until the outcome is confirmed, an assignment should not be treated as completed.
Waivers and roster assignment are distinct transactions. Placing a player on waivers makes him available to other clubs; sending him to the minors is a separate step after clearance. A waiver announcement alone therefore does not establish that Vancouver has reached a particular active-roster total.
That distinction matters as teams prepare their opening rosters. The deadline for a cap-compliant roster of no more than 23 active players is September 28 at 2 p.m. Pacific. Clubs can still make personnel decisions around that deadline, so a projected lineup should not be confused with an officially submitted roster.
Tolopilo’s waiver eligibility also reflects the rules governing players as they move between leagues. Exemptions depend on a player’s age when signing his first NHL contract, his position, and the number of seasons or NHL appearances since then. A player can become subject to waivers without reaching the games-played threshold if his seasons-based exemption has expired.
For Tolopilo, the applicable three-season exemption has elapsed. His record includes two NHL appearances in 2024–25 and 21 in 2025–26, bringing the total to 23. That is below the 60-game threshold associated with his waiver age, but the elapsed seasons are enough to require clearance.
Tolopilo finished 2025–26 with a 6-11-2 record, a 3.61 goals-against average and .881 save percentage.
Vancouver opens at Edmonton on September 29 before hosting the Oilers on October 1.
Correction: An earlier version of this coverage treated the waiver placement as proof that Vancouver had reached its final 23-player roster. That conclusion was not established by the transaction. Clearance, assignment and the submitted opening roster must be confirmed separately.
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