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Vasily Podkolzin

Evening Notes: Chinakhov, Oilers, Golden Knights, Stevenson

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Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reported that Yegor Chinakhov has not been happy with his role of late. The tantalizing 24-year-old has been skating on the Jackets’ fourth line, with no attention on the power play either. When asked about the role, Chinakhov said, “No comment.” 

Portzline also mentioned Head Coach Dean Evason’s thoughts on the situation. The Jackets’ bench boss complimented the Russian forward’s play, but emphasized the team’s forward depth. 

The remark is interesting, considering that Chinakhov requested a trade over the summer, only to backtrack just 10 days ago, saying he had reached an understanding with Evason and was open to staying with the Blue Jackets. 

Columbus’ first-round choice in 2020 (21st overall), Chinakhov has flashed his high skill, lighting up the AHL in short stints, but has yet to put everything together in the NHL. The emergence of other forwards such as Dmitri Voronkov and Kirill Marchenko has had Chinakhov on the outside looking in. It appears the former top prospect is at a crossroads that many have found themselves at: accepting a lesser role for the greater good to stick in the NHL, or finding a home elsewhere. 

Elsewhere across the league:

  • In Edmonton, Tony Brar of Oilers TV reported that Jake Walman, who has had rumblings of an extension lately, is day-to-day, but is expected to be ready for opening night. Vasily Podkolzin is expected to resume skating on Wednesday, after the tragic loss of his father.
  • SinBin.vegas noted that two Golden Knights, Pavel Dorofeyev and Jeremy Lauzon, are both progressing, per Head Coach Bruce Cassidy. They will remain sidelined tomorrow and are questionable for the Knights’ remaining preseason games. Dorofeyev was an 82-game player last year, breaking out with an eye-popping 35 goals, while Lauzon only notched 28 games in Nashville due to injury, before an offseason trade to Vegas.
  • Having been mentioned by Kevin Weekes last week, Elliotte Friedman echoed that the Capitals will likely lose goaltender Clay Stevenson on waivers, as reported by Russian Machine Never Breaks. The undrafted 26-year-old has yet to make a sizeable NHL impact (just one game played) but has caught the eye of many clubs, and could be the latest under-the-radar goaltender to burst onto the scene. Interestingly, Friedman noted the Rangers as a possible suitor, saying they pursued the Alberta native as a college free agent before the Capitals won out. Such a claim would especially be a blow to the marquee AHL franchise, the Hershey Bears. With Weekes pointing it out and Friedman following suit, Stevenson will be a name to watch closely.

Oilers’ Vasily Podkolzin Takes Leave Of Absence

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Oilers winger Vasily Podkolzin will be taking an indefinite leave of absence from the club after his father, Alexander, “suddenly and tragically passed away last night,” the team said in a press release. He’s returned to his native Russia in the interim.

Whenever Podkolzin is ready to return – an understandably wide-ranging timeline – he’ll be walking into a top-nine role in Edmonton. The 24-year-old played in all 82 games for the Oilers last year and saw notable deployment alongside Leon Draisaitl as a checking winger, putting together an 8-16–24 scoring line while averaging 13:13 of ice time per night. He also led Edmonton in hits by a wide margin with 211.

That was enough to earn him a three-year extension with a $2.95MM cap hit, a deal he signed just yesterday. He otherwise would have been a restricted free agent with arbitration rights next summer after inking a two-year, $2MM deal with the Canucks in April 2024. Edmonton acquired him from Vancouver via trade before he played a game under that contract.

If Podkolzin does not return to the Oilers before the beginning of the regular season, he can be designated as a non-roster player and will not count against their 23-player roster limit. His current $1MM cap hit, however, would still count against their books. If he’s expected to miss at least 10 games and 24 days from the start of the campaign, they can place him on long-term injured reserve for potential salary relief if necessary.

All of us at PHR extend our condolences to the Podkolzin family.

Oilers Sign Vasily Podkolzin To Three-Year Extension

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The Oilers and Vasily Podkolzin will avoid restricted free agency next summer. The club announced it has signed him to a three-year extension carrying an AAV of $2.95MM for a total value of $8.85MM. The deal breaks down into a $1MM signing bonus and $1.95MM base salary each season, Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reports.

Back in April of 2024, Podkolzin had agreed to a two-year, $2MM deal with the Canucks that looked to keep the former top-10 pick in Vancouver for another couple of years. He never played a game for the club on that contract, though. After the Oilers lost winger Dylan Holloway to an offer sheet four months later, they moved to recoup some forward depth and acquire Podkolzin from the ’Nucks in exchange for a fourth-round pick. That was a buy-low price for the 2019 draft choice, who had two years of term and four years of team control remaining. He was set to have arbitration rights next summer, but instead will walk to unrestricted free agency in 2029 with this extension.

In Edmonton, Podkolzin reestablished himself as an NHL regular after spending his final few seasons in Vancouver watching his playing time dwindle. He skated in all 82 games for the first time, supplying an 8-16–24 scoring line with a +1 rating while averaging a career-high 13:13 per game. He spent a good portion of the year up in the top six as a checking presence on Leon Draisaitl’s line, although he more routinely moved to bottom-six duties when the postseason rolled around. The 6’1″, 190-lb Russian led the club with 211 hits in the regular season and finished second among Edmonton forwards with 53 blocks.

Podkolzin, now 24, no longer has the offensive ceiling Vancouver hoped for when they selected him 10th overall six years ago. He’s nonetheless solidified himself as a reasonably valuable middle-six checking presence, although his point production still leaves much to be desired given how much time he saw along Draisaitl at even strength last year. He did score 14 goals in 79 games in his rookie campaign with Vancouver back in 2021-22, though. If he can rediscover that shooting touch, his nearly $3MM cap hit over the next few years should be more palatable as the cap continues to rise. If not, that’s a bit of a gamble the Oilers are taking on a type of talent that could be easily replaceable for a lower salary on the free agent market.

The Oilers now have nearly $62MM in salary commitments to just 12 players for their 2026-27 active roster. That leaves them with over $42MM in space to fill up to 11 jobs – a relatively reasonable target, but a number that will also drop quickly if they manage to extend franchise center Connor McDavid in the near future.

Oilers Acquire Vasily Podkolzin From Canucks

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The Edmonton Oilers have acquired forward Vasily Podkolzin from the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for the Ottawa Senators’ 2025 fourth-round pick. Edmonton acquired the pick alongside Roby Jarventie earlier this summer, in exchange for sending Ottawa forwrards Xavier Bourgault and Jake Chiasson.

The timing of this deal can’t be ignored. Edmonton recently received two offer sheets from the St. Louis Blues, who are looking to steal away forward Dylan Holloway and defender Philip Broberg. The pair of offer sheets totals $6.87MM – a very difficult pill to swallow for an Oilers team already $8.225MM over the cap ceiling, not including potential long-term injured reserve. While an Oilers trade seemed imminent, this swap is far from what many were expecting – as Edmonton reels in a former top prospect and potential Holloway replacement.

If Podkolzin truly donns that title is yet to be seen. He proved a controversial pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, rounding out what was a loaded Top 10 after fighting his way into KHL ice time. Podkolzin stayed in Russia for two seasons after his draft selection, continuing to grow in a KHL role before moving directly into a middle-six role with the Canucks in 2021. He was productive as a rookie, appearing in 79 games and managing 14 goals and 26 points. But he’s struggled to hold onto that scoring in the years since, totaling just nine points across his last 58 NHL games. That belabored production has earned Podkolzin the first AHL games of his career, to some success. He’s scored 46 points in 72 minor-league games over the last two seasons – enough to earn routine call-ups back to the NHL, but not enough to inspire much excitement.

But that could be set to change in Edmonton. Podkozlin flaunted plenty of skill during his brief KHL career, but struggled to instill much tempo into the offense. That’s perhaps the thing the Oilers do best, largely thanks to just how talented Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins bring to the table. Holloway wasn’t getting much ice time with those superstars as he looked to establish his footing in the NHL, but Edmonton has shown a preference for icing shoot-first bruisers, like Connor Brown or Klim Kostin, with McDavid. Podkolzin stands at a similar frame to Holloway, but has built a bit more of knack for physicality as he’s cut his teeth in the minor leagues. A move to the Oilers offense will represent a chance to start over – potentially filling a recently departed role as the lineup’s young, high-upside winger.

West Notes: Lindstein, Podkolzin, Chmelevski

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When the Blues signed prospect Theo Lindstein back in March, they gained assignment rights on him as a first-round pick, meaning they could have assigned him to their AHL affiliate.  However, the blueliner confirmed to Gefle Dagblad’s Daniel Sandstrom that he will remain with SHL Brynas for the 2024-25 season and will not attend training camp with St. Louis next month.  Lindstein was the 29th overall pick in 2023 after playing a regular role for them in the SHL.  Brynas was relegated to the second-tier Allsvenskan last season where he had 15 points in 49 games plus four more in 13 qualification games to get them back up to the top level.  Because Lindstein clearly won’t play in ten or more NHL games this coming season, his contract will slide and still have three years remaining on it heading into 2025-26.

Elsewhere out West:

  • In an interview with Cherkas Atlant (video link), Canucks winger Vasily Podkolzin admitted that he was surprised to receive his two-year, $2MM contract extension in mid-April. The 23-year-old spent the bulk of last season in the minors with AHL Abbotsford and wasn’t overly productive when in Vancouver, collecting just two assists in 19 games.  That had the 2019 first-round pick expecting to be traded at some point but instead, he’ll get a chance to lock down a full-time roster spot in the fall.  Notably, Podkolzin is now waiver-eligible so it seems likely he’ll at least stick at the back of their roster after training camp.
  • Speaking with Sport-Express’ Ivan Bohun, Sharks RFA forward Sasha Chmelevski indicated that he still intends to return to the NHL despite signing a three-year extension with Salavat Yulaev in late April. The 25-year-old has 24 career NHL appearances under his belt where he has 10 assists but he elected to return home where he has been quite productive.  Last season, Chmelevski picked up 27 goals and 29 assists in 67 games, leading to some speculation that San Jose might be able to trade his rights.  Chmelevski thinks a trade could have been an option but clearly, one never materialized.  Once this contract ends in 2027, Chmelevski will be 28 and an unrestricted free agent and it appears that will be when he attempts to return to North America.

Canucks Recall 13 Black Aces Ahead of Game 2

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The Vancouver Canucks have brought up reinforcements from the minor leagues following the Abbotsford Canucks’ elimination from the AHL playoffs, recalling 13 players (Twitter link). The full list includes forwards Arshdeep Bains, Linus Karlsson, Danila Klimovich, Jonathan Lekkerimäki, Vasily Podkolzin, Aatu Räty, and Max Sasson; defenders Nick Cicek, Matt Irwin, Cole McWard, Elias Pettersson, and Christian Wolanin; and goaltender Zach Sawchenko.

The list features four of the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks top five scorers, following the team’s elimination from the AHL’s Pacific Division Finals at the hands of the Ontario Reign. Abbotsford went on a strong postseason run after tying for fourth in the AHL in goals scored during the regular season. Now, their best and brightest will bolster a Vancouver lineup that’s currently up 1-0 on the Oilers. Thatcher Demko is the only Canuck currently out with injury, likely keeping any of today’s recalls from slotting into the lineup right away. But the team will have a wide array of options to choose from should they need a fill-in – ranging from highly-skilled prospects in Lekkerimäki and Räty, to hard-nosed forwards Bains and Podkolzin, to rangy defenders Irwin and Pettersson.

While Podkolzin, Bains, Karlsson, and McWard have each played in NHL games this season, the former is the only one to earn a significant role. Podkolzin played in 19 games and recorded two assists this season, averaging just under 11 minutes of ice time. He’d likely be the first bet for a fill-in should Vancouver need a forward, while Irwin – the only member of the list with Stanley Cup Playoffs experience – likely leads the defenders.

Canucks Reassign Vasily Podkolzin

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Right winger Vasily Podkolzin has been reassigned to AHL Abbotsford, the Canucks announced Wednesday. He’d been a healthy scratch for all five games of Vancouver’s first-round series against the Predators thus far, but he’ll now see postseason action in Abbotsford’s Pacific Division Semifinal series against the Ontario Reign, which begins tonight.

Podkolzin spent most of the season in the minors but was recalled shortly before the trade deadline, spending most of March and all of April on the major league roster. After accumulating two assists in 18 NHL regular-season games, the Canucks inked him to a two-year, $2MM extension on the morning of his 19th and final appearance this season.

The 22-year-old is two years removed from a solid rookie season, finishing ninth on the Canucks in scoring in 2022 with 14 goals and 26 points in 79 contests. He’s struggled to hold a full-time role since, however, playing only 58 NHL games over the past two seasons compared to 72 in the minors.

Vancouver’s 10th overall pick in 2019 was always projected as more of a power forward and wasn’t expected to log huge point totals, but he’s done very little over the past few years to challenge for even a consistent middle-six role. That doesn’t mean there haven’t been any promising signs, though. Despite his limited offense this season, he was more involved physically than he’s ever been, averaging 3.68 hits per game.

Hits aren’t always a good indication of defensive success, but it was in this case, as his checking ability helped limit opponents’ ability to generate shot attempts. His possession impacts were good as a result, posting a 52.7 CF% and 53.1 xGF% at even strength, per Hockey Reference. That should give Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet some confidence that he can be deployed effectively in a fourth-line role to begin next season as his seven-figure cap hit kicks in. For now, though, he joins Abbotsford for its playoff run after totaling 15 goals and 28 points in 44 regular-season games.

Canucks Sign Vasily Podkolzin To Extension

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The Vancouver Canucks have signed forward Vasily Podkolzin to a two-year contract extension with an average annual value of $1MM. The 22-year-old is in the final year of his entry-level contract and currently carries a cap hit of $925K. The timing of the extension is interesting as Podkolzin hasn’t shown much offensively at the NHL level over the past two seasons after a solid rookie year back in 2021-22.

As a rookie, Podkolzin dressed in 79 games for the Canucks and posted 14 goals and 12 assists while he averaged nearly 13 minutes of ice time per game and showed flashes of the skill that made him the tenth overall pick in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. However, the following season, Podkolzin’s offensive numbers fell off a cliff as he registered just four goals and three assists in 39 NHL games and was demoted to the AHL where he played 28 games and tallied seven goals and 11 assists.

This season has been more of the same offensively as Podkolzin has just two assists in 18 NHL games, however, he has been much more assertive physically and has shown more responsibility with the puck on his stick, leading to fewer turnovers.

The extension seems like a low-risk gamble by the Canucks to try and sign a player with a ton of potential to a low-cost deal that could pay huge dividends in the not-too-distant future. While Podkolzin hasn’t scored much in the NHL outside of his rookie season, he has solid underlying numbers and has other elements to his game to which he can contribute.

Canucks Recall Vasily Podkolzin

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After being papered down to the minors yesterday, Vasily Podkolzin is back up with the Canucks as the team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled him from AHL Abbotsford.

The 22-year-old was the tenth pick back in 2019 and spent the full 2021-22 season with Vancouver.  However, last season, he split the season between the NHL and the AHL, and this year, they decided he’d be best served playing big minutes in his final season of waiver exemption.

This season, Podkolzin has played in 44 games with Abbotsford, collecting 15 goals and 13 assists.  He also has seen action in three games with Vancouver this month but has been primarily limited to fourth-line duty.  That’s likely to continue to be the case moving forward.

Podkolzin had been shuffled back and forth over the last week but that should change now.  With Vancouver having a dozen healthy forwards before this roster move, that means this will count as one of their four allowable post-deadline regular recalls so his stint with the Canucks should be longer this time around.  Notably, his promotion effectively caps Vancouver out as they won’t be able to afford another recall.  That likely played a role in their decision yesterday not to sign Phil Kessel as an extra depth player after he had worked out with Abbotsford recently.

Western Notes: Wild, Oilers, Podkolzin, Foudy

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The Minnesota Wild have placed forward Marcus Johansson on injured reserve with a lower-body injury suffered in the team’s Saturday game against the St. Louis Blues. Johansson has since missed the team’s last two games, and will now be out until at least Sunday. Minnesota has recalled forward Adam Beckman from the AHL in a corresponding move.

Johansson, 33, has managed nine goals and 27 points in 61 games this season. It’s his third season spending time with Minnesota, joining the team via trade last season, with Minnesota sending a 2024 third-round pick to the Washington Capitals in return. He also played 36 games for Minnesota during the shortened 2020-21 season. Johansson has totaled 117 career games with the Wild, the second-most he’s played for any team. He has 21 goals and 59 points across those games – bringing his career totals up to 480 points in 894 games.

Johansson is signed through the 2024-25 season, riding out a two-year, $4MM contract extension signed at the end of last season. The new deal will carry him through his age-35 season and carries a $2MM cap hit. His absence will make room for Beckman’s return to the NHL. The 22-year-old winger has been called up twice this season, though he’s yet to play in his first NHL game of the season. He’s instead played 48 games in the AHL, serving as an alternate captain for the Iowa Wild and scoring 29 points. Beckman made his NHL debut in the 2021-22 season, and has since totaled 12 games in the league, though he’s still searching for his first NHL goal.

Other notes from around the league:

  • The Edmonton Oilers have sent young winger Dylan Holloway and veteran Sam Gagner to the AHL. Gagner had to clear waivers for the loan, while Holloway maintains waiver exemption. The pair have each slotted into a handful of NHL games this season, with Gagner scoring 10 points in 27 games and Holloway managing four points in 32 games. These moves make both Holloway and Gagner eligible to play in the AHL’s Calder Cup Playoffs. Holloway has appeared in four AHL games this season, scoring four points, while Gagner has played in three games and scored five points.
  • The Vancouver Canucks have recalled winger Vasily Podkolzin, after sending him to the minor leagues on Wednesday. He appeared in two games during his previous recall, recording one shot and no other stat changes while averaging roughly 10 minutes of ice time. The two games marked Podkolzin’s first NHL appearances of the season, with the 22-year-old spending much of the year in the minor leagues, where he’s put up 15 goals and 28 points in 44 games.  Podkolzin recorded 120 NHL games over the last two seasons, scoring a combined 33 points. He’ll likely serve as an extra forward for Vancouver.
  • The Colorado Avalanche have assigned Jean-Luc Foudy to the AHL, just hours after after he scored his first NHL goal. Foudy’s season started late, with the forward grappling with a lower-body injury until mid January. He’s since played in 12 AHL games, scoring six points, and one NHL game. The 21-year-old’s appearance with the Avalanche brings his career totals up to 10 games – with his first career goal also marking the first point of his career.

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