Life is good for Vasily Podkolzin at the moment. The Edmonton Oilers winger has played a big role this season, and with Leon Draisaitl on leave from the team, he’s the one who’s gotten a deserved boost even higher in the lineup.
Podkolzin – who has built great chemistry with Draisaitl – has scored in both games without him so far, flanking Connor McDavid on the first line. Not only will that be the case for the next few games, but Tuesday’s practice showed that he will also join McDavid and the rest of the Oilers stars on the top power play unit.
Unsurprisingly, he feels very good about both the promotion and his game as a whole, including a funny response when asked about it during the post-training media availability.
said Podkolzin:
“I think I have a lot of ice time right now and I’m playing a bigger role than I’ve ever played before, so of course I’m very confident about it and yeah, I feel good about it too.
I mean, they’re two of the best players in the world, so it’s an easy game for me right now. It’s great. It’s good to be me in this league now. And yes, I am lucky to have the opportunity to play with both of them.”
The 24-year-old Podkolzin has already scored 23 points (12 goals, 11 assists) in 50 games this season – just three points shy of his career high of 26 from the 2021-2022 season.
His three-year, $8.85 million extension he signed with the Oilers in September won’t take effect until the start of the 2026-2027 season.
The Vasili Podkolzin trade remains a bargain for the oil companies
A year and a half later, Edmonton is still reaping the benefits of the trade GM Stan Bowman made to bring Podkolzin into the fold two summers ago.
Of course, Bowman got the former first-round pick (10th overall, 2019) from the rival Vancouver Canucks for just a fourth-round pick in 2025, a price we can safely say was worth it. Not to mention extending him to $2.95 million per year through the 2028-2029 season, which appears to be an absolute steal considering his continued growth as a player and the rising salary cap.
Podkolzin and the Oilers will look to keep the good times going on Tuesday night when they host the New Jersey Devils in search of their third straight victory – a win that would tie them with Vegas at the top of the Pacific Division at 60 points.
Next: Artemi Panarin Trade Buzz is growing – but oil companies not in the mix
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