The Edmonton Oilers have announced a 3 year extension with forward Vasily Podkolzin valued at $8.85M ($2.95M AAV) which will kick in ahead of the 2026-27 season.
Podkolzin joined the Oilers following a trade with the Vancouver Canucks in August of 2024, and would go on to record 24 points (8G, 16A) across 82 games for the club. The 24 year old further elevated his game in the postseason, notching 10 points (3G, 7A) across 22 playoff games.
“We’re very fortunate to get ‘Pods’ the way we did. He’s been a huge asset for us filling in for us on numerous lines,” Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said. “He started for us last year on the fourth line and played well, we moved him up and he spent most of the season with Draisaitl.”
“He’s young and we feel he’s just going to get better,” Knoblauch continued. “Maybe last year, the offensive numbers didn’t show, they were pretty pedestrian, it wasn’t outstanding but we feel there’s more offence in him and we feel very fortunate to have him with us.”
Originally selected 10th overall by the Canucks in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, the 6’1″ winger was viewed as one of the top offensive talents in his rookie class. However, since coming over from Russia, Podkolzin’s point totals have been slow to develop, as he’s recorded 59 points (26G, 33A) across 219 NHL contests.
His up and down play has led to him bouncing back and forth between the AHL and NHL ranks, and an ever changing cast of line mates at the professional level. However, Edmonton is hoping that their financial commitment to native of Moscow will help him settle into a consistent middle six role for the club moving forward.
“It’s awesome, I’m really happy to be here for the next few years,” Podkolzin said. “It’s a great group of guys here and we need to get the job done. I just love hockey and I love my work and I love what I do. When I have the opportunity to play with the best players in the world, it’s awesome. I really enjoy it and I try to be useful for them.”
Podkolzin contributed to the Oilers in a variety of ways beyond the scoreboard last season, leading the team in hits (211) and finishing second on the team in blocked shots amongst forwards with 53. He also posted a career high in ice time last year, averaging 13:13 a night.
Clearly the Oilers front office believe there’s still untapped potential in the once highly touted prospect, and will likely give him every opportunity to carve out a more meaningful role in 2025-26. Depending on whether the team decides to pair, or split up McDavid and Draisaitl, Podkolzin could be in line for a top six role, centred by one of the league’s best forwards coming out of training camp.
Edmonton continues their preseason action with 9pm ET showdown with Seattle on Wednesday night.
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