Kirill Kudryavtsev
Kudryavtsev enters the 2026-27 season having been sent down to the AHL's Abbotsford Canucks in the final round of training camp cuts, so for fantasy purposes he is not currently part of Vancouver's NHL picture at puck drop on September 29.
Role
Per Daily Hive's Offside camp coverage (checked, article dated about three days before September 26, 2026) and CanucksArmy's training camp preview, Vancouver's projected top six on defense is Filip Hronek, Tom Willander, Zeev Buium, Elias Pettersson, Jamie Oleksiak and Luke Schenn, which left Kudryavtsev and Victor Mancini fighting for a depth/seventh-defenseman spot. That competition was resolved, at least for now, when the Canucks trimmed their preseason roster and assigned Kudryavtsev to Abbotsford while keeping Mancini on the NHL side. There is no confirmation of what specific role, pairing or power-play unit he will hold in Abbotsford this season; the only confirmed fact is that he starts the year outside Vancouver's NHL lineup.
Daily Hive's camp writeup called it "somewhat surprising" that Kudryavtsev was cut and sent down before Mancini, which some analysts read as evidence he is viewed as the more NHL-ready or higher-upside of the two rather than a clear-cut demotion on merit; he is a Calder Cup winner with Abbotsford and has been a full-time AHL regular defenseman since 2024-25.
Regardless of how the decision was reached, the concrete outcome is that he is not on Vancouver's NHL roster to open the season, Vancouver's top six defensemen look set heading into game one, and Mancini, not Kudryavtsev, is the defenseman currently ahead of him in the organization's NHL pecking order, meaning any NHL run for Kudryavtsev this season would likely require an injury or a trade to create room.
Where analysts split
The specific point of disagreement in current coverage is why he was sent down ahead of Mancini: whether it reflects the coaching staff genuinely preferring Mancini's game right now, or whether it is more of a roster-mechanics/waiver or entry-level-contract consideration that does not reflect Kudryavtsev's actual standing, a question Daily Hive raised but did not resolve.
Research confidence: reported. Outlooks are grounded in web search over current reporting and refreshed through the season.
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