Edmonton Oilers
Vasily Podkolzin Enjoying Life on Line 1 and PP1: “Good to Be Me Right Now”
From playing with Leon Draisaitl to Connor McDavid, Vasily Podkolzin is happy to be an Edmonton Oiler.
Life is good right now for Vasily Podkolzin. The Edmonton Oilers winger has thrived in an expanded role this season, and with Leon Draisaitl away from the team on a leave of absence, he’s the one who has received a deserved boost even higher up the lineup.
Podkolzin—who had been building tremendous chemistry with Draisaitl—has scored in both games without him so far while flanking Connor McDavid on the first line. Not only will that continue for the next few games, but Tuesday’s practice revealed he’ll also be joining McDavid and the rest of the Oilers’ stars on the top power-play unit.
To no surprise, he’s feeling very good about both the promotion and his game as a whole, which included a funny response when asked about it during post-practice media availability.
“I think I have lots of ice time right now and I’m playing a bigger role than I’ve played before, so of course I’m feeling pretty confident and yeah feeling good about it.
I mean, they’re two of the best players in the world, so it’s an easy game right now for me. It’s awesome. Good to be me right now in this league. And yeah, I get lucky to have the opportunity to play with both of them,”
The 24-year-old Podkolzin has already produced 23 points (12 goals, 11 assists) in 50 games this season—just three shy of matching his career-high 26 from the 2021–22 campaign.
His three-year, $8.85 million extension signed with the Oilers in September doesn’t kick in until the start of the 2026–27 season.
The Vasily Podkolzin Trade Continues to Be a Steal for the Oilers
A year and a half later, Edmonton continues to reap the rewards of the trade GM Stan Bowman made to bring Podkolzin into the fold two summers ago.
Bowman, of course, landed the former first-round pick (10th overall, 2019) from the rival Vancouver Canucks for just a 2025 fourth-round pick, a price that is safe to say was well worth paying. Not to mention, extending him at $2.95 million annually through the 2028–29 season, which is shaping up to be an absolute bargain given his continued ascension as a player and the rising salary cap.
Podkolzin and the Oilers will look to keep the good times rolling Tuesday night when they host the New Jersey Devils in search of their third consecutive win—one that would tie them with Vegas atop the Pacific Division at 60 points.
Next: Artemi Panarin Trade Buzz Grows — But Oilers Not in the Mix
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