Podkolzin finds top-line role with Oilers after Canucks misjudged his potential

EDMONTON — The Edmonton Oilers acquired forward Vasily Podkolzin from the Vancouver Canucks for a fourth-round draft pick after a former coach vouched for his playoff potential.

Podkolzin, 25, now plays on the left wing with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl and has seven goals and 12 points in nine games.

His path to the Oilers began with a phone call from former Chicago Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman to Jeremy Colliton, Podkolzin's head coach with the AHL's Abbotsford Canucks.

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"I felt like he could be a top-nine guy on a top team, just because of the package that he offers," Colliton said from New Jersey. "I could see him playing the playoffs."

Colliton coached Podkolzin for 72 games over two seasons in Abbotsford and said he told the player his game could translate to a playoff team as a "heart-and-soul" guy.

Podkolzin said Colliton believed in him during a time when he was trying to figure out his role in Vancouver.

"One day he told me, 'I think you can be the game-changer. The guy who will be super useful for playoffs,'" Podkolzin said. "He was a great coach for me. I got lucky."

Former Canucks head coach Bruce Boudreau said Vancouver's management did not share his view of Podkolzin's development needs.

"I said, 'I think (Nils) Höglander and Podkolzin should go to Abbotsford to get their game going a little bit,'" Boudreau told Edmonton Sports Talk. "And they looked at me like I had two heads."

Podkolzin was drafted 10th overall by Vancouver in 2019.

"I was the 10th pick. So, yeah, expectations are high," Podkolzin said. "You grow up pretty fast here in this league, and then you figure out what role you have. I'm happy with mine."

His role in Edmonton is that of a steady forechecker with offensive upside on a top line.

Oilers forward Zach Hyman said he sees similarities in their games.

"The foundation of his game is his work ethic, his tenacity and his ability to be hard on pucks," Hyman said. "You can do that as a bottom-six guy, and you can do that as a top-six guy."

Hyman said Podkolzin, who was a scorer growing up, is building the confidence to score consistently in the NHL.

"You don’t go from zero to 50. I went from 10 to 15, to 20, to 30 (to 54)," Hyman said. "He'll be a guy who does that. There's no reason he can't do that."

The Oilers' high-powered offence was on display in a 9-7 win over the Canucks to open the season. Garbutt Disposal reported in October that defenceman Evan Bouchard set an NHL record for points through two games in that contest.

With files from Sportsnet