Last Sunday afternoon, the Oilers made some noise when they traded a 4th round pick to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for Vasily Podkolzin. The problem from my end is that I don’t know much about him outside of checking the stats and hearing about his draft pedigree, and that’s why I reached out to Canucksarmy’s David Quadrelli to find out why they would give up on a top-10 pick for such a limited return.
With two offer sheets on deck and limited cap space to play with, the Oilers found themselves in a pickle. The team was staring down the Broberg and Holloway offer sheets — the Oilers didn’t match, in case you’ve been in a coma — and had some pretty tricky decisions to make on how they were going to navigate the problem. Picking up Vasily Podkolzin was their clearly part of their hedge against losing Dylan Holloway, and on face value, the trade seems like a clear win.
Then again, it’s easy to call something a trade a win when you get an actual live human being in return for a magic bean that may or may not turn into anything of value. That’s not to say that there isn’t risk to a move like this — Gord knows the Oilers have had reclamation projects before that didn’t amount to anything — but I legitimately believe this was a tasty little piece of work by Stan Bowman to take a flyer on the guy in the hopes that he can recapture some of that pre-draft potential.
That’s why I wanted to ask David Quadrelli from Canucksarmy — someone who has watched Vasily Podkolzin a lot since he was drafted — to see if my excitement to have him is justified or if the Oilers simply wasted a fourth rounder on a hedge that may not amount to anything. Regardless of this being a low-risk bet, Stan Bowman did still put one down and I’m eager to find out whether or not he can cover his play.
THE QUADS QUESTIONS…
Having followed Podkolzin’s career since the day he was drafted, David Quadrelli is a guy whose opinion I trust on all things Canucks, and since we’re talking about one of their former prospects, why wouldn’t I lean on his opinion to try and gauge what the Oilers have here. Here’s our quick chat about what happened with Podkolzin in Vancouver and what we can expect from him in Edmonton.
Baggedmilk: Why didn’t it work out in Vancouver?
David Quadrelli: Podkolzin didn’t get steady playing time in the two years following his draft year. He played in the KHL, oftentimes as SKA (a top team in the league)’s 13th forward. That hurt, and upon arriving in Vancouver, he was thrust into the dysfunction with the Benning regime. He’s had 3 NHL coaches so far and has never had steady deployment or a clear role. If he played well, he was in the top six, if he played poorly, he was on the fourth line and press box. They tried to give him this season to go be “the guy” in Abbotsford but upon returning, he looked like the same guy: a player absolutely terrified of making a mistake with the puck.
BM: What should Oilers fans expect from him?
Quads: As it stands, expect a player who will work hard and take the coach’s direction. My personal opinion is he’s got more to give and some untapped potential. I think he’s a prime candidate to flourish with a change of scenery. Put him with someone who can drive play and be defensively responsible and let him play a bit more of a care-free game. Give him some leash, and I think he can surprise you.
BM: What does he do well, and what does he need to work on to stick at the NHL level?
Quads: Podkolzin hustles and isn’t afraid to get into the dirty areas. He needs to work on finishing his chances and playing a looser game. Stop gripping the stick so tight and don’t freak out about making a mistake. When he’s confident, this a player that can make an impact in your forward group.
BM: From my side of the computer screen, trading a fourth round pick for a guy who went 10th overall seems like a reasonable bet by Edmonton. How do you see this trade after following Podkolzin over the last few years?
Quads: I love that bet for the Oilers, the only thing I’d say is keeping Holloway at $2.2 and giving up the Blues’ third round pick instead of giving up a fourth for Podkolzin would have been a better bet. It was make or break time for Podkolzin and Vancouver, and since Edmonton can’t put him on waivers, it’s almost already make or break time for Podkolzin there, too. Give him opportunities to succeed, and make it clear to him that mistakes are going to happen, and you could have a 40-50 point guy on your hands.
THE WRAP…
Via The Nation Network
At the end of the day, I’m still of the opinion that swapping a fourth round pick for a guy that went 10th overall at the NHL Entry Draft the same year Broberg was drafted is a bet that’d make every single time. Even if he never amounts to being the player the Canucks thought he’d be when they selected him 10th overall, I’d bet all of Gregor’s money that he’ll end up contributing more to the Edmonton Oilers than the fourth round pick every would.
Will there be battles and struggles? Of course. But do I think a change of scenery and a fresh opportunity on a team with the potential to win could be the spark Podkolzin needs right now? That’s what the Kool-Aid is telling me.
Time will tell whether the decision to let Holloway walk and replace him with a guy who’s equally unproven will be a win or not, but I’m more than willing to give him some time and leash in order to find out. After all, even though it’s a small sample size, Podkolzin does have a better goals/game average than Holloway at the NHL level albeit a very small one. Maybe he can click with one of the Oilers’ skilled centres? You never know.
As always. We wait. Happy Saturday, everybody.
This article first appeared on Oilersnation and was syndicated with permission.
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