Confirmed Trade: [EDM/VAN] Vasily Podkolzin for OTT '25 4th

[TheNumber4]

He seems like the perfect Tocchet type of player too.

Doesn't have the unsustainable shooting percentage that Tocchet needs though.

 

[mriswith]

Pod in his first year in Van was already a decent third liner and looked primed to break out. but then for whatever reason his play declined and he never made it back to that level of play here.

Not surprised he's doing well since he already had hit this level of play before. Looks like an extended opportunity without getting jerked around was exactly what he needed to thrive.

 

[5 14 6 1]

I love this dude

 

[Reverend Mayhem]

Feels more like a young Zach Hyman to me. Has the same endless motor and work ethic, defensively responsible, and a slowly developing offensive touch.

Best thing about this trade is he's fitting in well in the top 6 and he has another year at 1M cap hit. That's the exact value contract the Oilers needed in the top 6, and what Holloway was supposed to provide before he was making more than double that. Not that Holloway isn't worth it, and I'd obviously still like to have him on the team, but Oilers needed some value contracts like this really bad.

This could be a player IMO who is an investment. I never saw his upside, but his floor was worth the 10th in my opinion. Young Zach Hyman though, is about what you should expect. I think he'll be a very streaky scorer as well. His confidence is shot from being a Benning holdover and I'm not sure he'll get it back. Prime/ceiling is 25-25-50, every situation, coaches dream. Not a bad player at all, he gets it more than Yak ever did. I wish we had tried to milk more out of that asset.

 

[Jumptheshark]

good pick up. Will be interesting when the Oilers get healthy again where does he play?

 

[Norwegianoiler]

I love this dude

Fair enough, but I have it on good account that the guy isn't very good.

 

[Sergei Shirokov]

That’s the baffling part. How does a guy who’s decent defensively, plays hard, and always stays out longer at the end of practice end up in a coaches dog house? That should be the last guy on a team that coaches don’t like

He really had plateaued. He came into camp last season & was given a shot in the top 6 alongside JT Miller & Brock Boeser (kind of the situation he's in now with Drai, toolsy compliment to good players) and he just didn't do anything with it. Worked hard but wasn't effective.

He went down to the AHL, started out fantastic then got a concussion, came back & played well in the A but when he was called up later in the year seemed to be playing very safe.

I've always liked Podz & hated the trade, but after his rookie year he really hit a wall. Always worked hard but often played timid & for whatever didn't make much happen at the NHL level.

I wish we had kept him for another go but glad to see he's re-establishing his NHL game with a fresh start. Awesome kid, tons of tools.