Grading Canucks defenceman Kirill Kudryavtsev's 2025-26 season.
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 defenceman Kirill Kudryavtsev.
Kudryavtsev’s 2025–26 Season Review
Kudryavtsev entered the 2025–26 season with NHL experience already under his belt. The defenceman skated in the final two games of the Canucks’ 2024–25 season, making his NHL debut on April 14 against the San Jose Sharks. He made a pretty decent splash in his rookie AHL season last year, proving himself capable of taking on difficult minutes despite his limited experience level.
The unpredictability of Vancouver’s lineups early on in the season, as well as a few key departures from the Abbotsford Canucks’ blueline, led to Kudryavtsev to become one of the team’s most relied-upon defencemen. Tom Willander, Jimmy Schuldt, Victor Mancini, and even Kudryavtsev himself were called-up as a result of injuries to Vancouver’s D-core during the month of October. Throughout the first month of the season, Kurdyavtsev put up five points in five games at the AHL level.
Things ended up taking a turn for the worse for Kudryavtsev when the defenceman was sidelined by a lower-body injury, taking him out of the lineup for two months. This included a stretch that would have seen him play at his first AHL All-Star Challenge, as he’d been named Abbotsford’s representative prior to his injury. As a result, Kudryavtsev finished the 2025–26 AHL season with two goals and 18 assists in 44 games. This included four multi-point games, including Abbotsford’s final matchup of the season.
Throughout the season, Kudryavtsev ended up playing all throughout the lineup. He began the season on Abbotsford’s second pairing with Nikolai Knyzhov before being moved to third with Joe Arntsen. By the end of the year, the defenceman found himself paired with Schuldt on Abbotsford’s second unit.
Like the season before, Kudryavtsev managed to get into a couple of NHL games at the end of the season, making his season debut for Vancouver on April 12 against the Anaheim Ducks. He recorded his first NHL point in this game, assisting on former Canucks forward Curtis Douglas’ first NHL goal. The defenceman tallied one more assist the game after on April 14 against the Los Angeles Kings. In his three NHL games in 2025–26, Kudryavtsev averaged 15:38 minutes per game.
Apr 14, 2026; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks defenseman Kirill Kudryavtsev (59) handles the puck against the Los Angeles Kings in the second period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn ImagesKudryavtsev’s 2025–26 Letter Grade
The 2025–26 season was a fair year of development for Kudryavtsev, though parts of it were ultimately hampered by injuries. He was still able to build on his game, taking on bigger roles than the season prior with the free-agency departures of former Abbotsford mainstays Christian Wolanin, Cole McWard, and Akito Hirose — plus injuries to Guillaume Brisebois and Jett Woo. As a result, Kudryavtsev receives a B– for his efforts this year.
Canucks 2025–26 Letter Grades
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