Canucks fans react to the Vasily Podkolzin trade

Since joining the Canucks in the 2021-2022 season, it’s been a downhill spiral for the Russian forward. Podkolzin played 79 games in his rookie season, scoring 14 goals and 26 points. Only to follow that season up with seven points in 39 NHL games and 18 points in 28 AHL games. And last season saw even fewer NHL games, suiting up in just 19 games, registering just two assists.

After spending 44 games with the Canucks AHL affiliate Abbotsford Canucks, Canucks fans were hoping for a Nils Höglander-esk jump for next season – Höglander played 45 games in the AHL in the 2022-2023 season and scored 24 5-on-5 goals the following year.

However, once the club added four wingers (Jake DeBrusk, Danton Heinen, Kiefer Sherwood and Daniel Sprong), Podkolzin quickly found himself on the outside looking in. And come September, at the end of training camp, when Podkolzin would have inevitably been sent to the minors, he would have had to clear waivers. Which he wouldn’t have cleared, and the Canucks would have lost him for nothing.

But let’s get into some fan reactions from various websites.

The worry about waiting until camp to see Podz is that you risk losing him for nothing. Looking at the Canucks roster at the end of the season, there was certainly a spot for him to make an impact. But after adding those four wingers, their roster is full, leaving no room for Podz to play – including Nils Åman and Phil Di Giuseppe in the press box already.

Ha! Yeah, looking back at this never feels good.

As the hometown team, the Canucks held the 10th overall selection in the 2019 draft. Vancouver had been linked to having an interest in Matthew Boldy but an extreme interest in Trevor Zegras. So much so that the club even considered trading the sixth overall pick with the Detroit Red Wings in hopes of drafting Zegras. However, Detroit wasn’t enticed enough by the offer to move back, so they instead selected Moritz Seider.

It was a shock to everybody to see Vasily Podkolzin slip into the double digits as he was projected to be the third overall pick behind Jack Hughes and Kaapo Kakko. Having just lost out on Zegras at ninth overall, Canucks front office decided to spot the slide and select the falling Russian winger.

Looking back at this draft, forwards Matthew Boldy, Cole Caufield, Alex Newhook, Peyton Krebs, and defenceman Cam York were all selected within the following seven selections, having all played more NHL games than Podkolzin. Defenceman, Thomas Harley and goaltender Spencer Knight have shown much more promise at the NHL level than Podkolzin has.

Where might this team look like if they had one of these players instead?

There really aren’t too many Canucks fans that are going to be happy with the trade, but Scott makes a good point here.

Podz is a 23-year-old former top-10 selection, and he only has 35 points in 137 games. Wouldn’t you expect a little bit more production from a player selected so high? It’s really not a lack of opportunity, either. He’s been given shots elevated in the lineup on J.T. Miller’s line but could never truly cement himself as a trusted option.

Is the return underwhelming? Absolutely. But, given his career stats to date and two points in 19 games in his most recent NHL season, it seems like market value for a young reclamation project. Plus, getting the Senators’ fourth-round selection instead of the Oilers’ gives a little bit more value to the trade.

Likely not. This management regime has emphasized giving the young players plenty of time to develop in Abbotsford. I don’t expect that to change with their number one prospect, especially during a time when there is such a log-jam on the wings.

Do Canucks fans actually think it would be better to have lost him on waivers for nothing rather than acquiring a mid-round pick? Nobody is happy with the destination Podkolzin lands in, but given how lacklustre he’s been, if you get similar production for another year, I’m not sure there’s even a trade offer out there for him. So why not capitalize on a potential trade chip for this year’s trade deadline for a guy who likely wasn’t going to make the roster anyway?

One sneaky part of this trade is it does clear up a contract spot. The Canucks were tight to the maximum 50 contracts with 49. Since they didn’t bring in any other contracts, they now have 48, with two roster spots to play with. This helps them go out and potentially sign a defenceman to a PTO or a goaltender after the Thatcher Demko news today.

From BigBA, CanucksArmy: “I thought it would be impossible for there to be a management group worse than Francesco/Benning and then Francesco/Allvin show up

Tocchet hated this kid like he did with Kuzmenko

I warned everyone that it was a mistake to support Tocchet and this management group

Extremely happy for Podkolzin and hope Hoglander is next to get out of this insane asylum

Loved watching OEL lift the cup and hope to see Podkolzin repeat this next spring in Edmonton”

Allvin and Rutherford brought this team from a perennial 18th-26th ranked team to a contender in the Pacific division and the Western Conference. Just ask the rest of the National Hockey League’s General Managers, who voted him the second-best GM this past season.

Not to mention head coach Rick Tocchet who coached just the third Canucks team in franchise history to a 50-win season. Who brought in a system that led to a Pacific division title this year, as well as the Jack Adams award for coach of the year.

One trade of a former first-round pick who hasn’t scored 40 points yet in over 130 NHL games makes you instantly turn on Allvin and Tocchet? The list of accolades from just one season doesn’t outweigh a minimal return for a struggling player who doesn’t have a spot on the roster next season?

From Craig Gowan, Canucks Army: “Pods was a complete bust for a No. 10 overall draft pick. He’s a slow skaterwith a limited offensive skill set. He didn’t excel in Abbortsford in the AHL. It didn’t look like he is good enough to make the Canucks this year. He might have been lost on waivers for nothing. This move gets the Canucks down to 48 instead of 49/50 contracts. Sometimes it’s best to move a prospect who hasn’t worked out in Vancouver after 5 years.”

He’s a bust in terms of where he was drafted, but it’s not too late for him to find himself an NHL career. Sure, his offensive side never blossomed, but he could form himself a role as a depth, hard-hitting, penalty-killing option. Was it better to get the fourth-round pick, or hope he develops into that role down in Abbotsford next season?

From The Luminator, Canucks Army: “Still, helping out your rival Oilers when they are in a tough spot by giving them a Holloway replacement for less than half the cap cost is not worth getting that 4th rd pick. Oilers will receive a 3rd for DH and get themselves a cheaper replacement from us for a 4th? That was a Vasily move.”

A very Vasily move indeed! This was puzzling as well. Why help a division rival whose hands are tied with their restricted free agents? Or was it just a 3D chess move for Allvin and Rutherford that weakened the Oilers?

Just by the eye test, Holloway looks to be the more impactful of the two players. He’s a speedy, hard-hitting winger who can score and has shown the ability to play with elite players. Podkolzin has struggled out of the gate and is slower a, less physical winger who hasn’t been able to carve out of role in the bottom six.

Did Vancouver’s front office sell them Podkolzin in hopes that they would consider him a Holloway replacement and allow them to not match his offer sheet?

From VinnyJack, Canucks Army: “What a joke this franchise is, and it just keeps getting worse, and worse!
Good luck attracting any Russian players to play in Vancouver ever again.
Great asset management too, they trade a 1st, and 2nd round pick for a player who was drafted in the 2nd round. (Hronek).
Then they trade a 10th overall pick (Podkolzin), for a 4th round pick, to a desperate team who probably would have traded a 2nd round pick for him.
I actually hope the Canucks finish 9th in the West this season.
I’m officially cheering for the Oilers, and Podkolzin, for at least this season.
Go Oilers go!!”

It’s good to see committed Canucks fans are keeping their cool after this trade…

There were more comments expressing their frustration. Let’s check some of those out.

Now that you’ve had a few days to digest this trade, what do you think of it now, Canucks fans?