Completed Trade Between the Canucks and Oilers Proving to Be a Mistake After Leon Draisaitl's Latest Comments
The Vancouver Canucks and Patrik Allvin may ultimately come to regret trading away a former 10th overall pick after some recent comments from NHL star Leon Draisaitl.
Last summer, the Vancouver Canucks found themselves in a bit of a pickle as the club wasn't sure if forward Vasily Podkolzin would be able to make their opening night roster out of training camp, so in order to avoid losing him for nothing on the waiver wire, Patrik Allvin dealt him to the Oilers in exchange for a 2025 fourth-round pick, which Edmonton ended up getting back in the Evander Kane trade back in June.
Podkolzin was given ample opportunity during his first season with the Edmonton Oilers and for small stints, got to play on the team's top line with Connor McDavid, which undoubtedly gave the Russian forward a confidence boost, used that to take his game to the next level during the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
As Podkolzin gets set for his second season with Edmonton Oilers and is entering a contract year, the former Vancouver Canuck drew plenty of praise recently from one of the game's biggest stars.
Leon Draisaitl has high praise for former Vancouver Canucks forward Vasily Podkolzin
Earlier this week, several members of the Edmonton Oilers returned to the city to begin informal "Captains Skates" and after Thursday's, Leon Draisaitl spoke with the media where he was full of praise for the 24-year-old.
Draisaitl said to reporters that Podkolzin helped him a lot last year, calling him a "great" player and adding that his work ethic is as good as he's seen during his time in the National Hockey League.
"Podzy does a lot of things that a lot of people who don't really understand hockey, they don't see it. He does a lot of work for me and it lets me have a lot of time with the puck and sets me up with great situations where I lack that in my game. He does a lot of great things for me personally and I really, really love playing with him. He's a great player. He's really, really underrated with the puck, really underrated hockey sense, great hockey mind.
"I think there's a lot more offence, a lot more finish. Hopefully it'll come out. But he's a player that doesn't need to score to be really, really valuable and effective."
"His work ethic is as good as I've seen in 12 years in this league. He's the ultimate professional. He would do anything for our group, he blocks shots, he does all the little things right. Those are the guys you want to see get rewarded more and I think there's a lot more for him offensively," Draisaitl said.
"I think there's a lot more offence, a lot more finish. Hopefully it'll come out. But he's a player that doesn't need to score to be really, really valuable and effective."
"His work ethic is as good as I've seen in 12 years in this league. He's the ultimate professional. He would do anything for our group, he blocks shots, he does all the little things right. Those are the guys you want to see get rewarded more and I think there's a lot more for him offensively," Draisaitl said.
Podkolzin has a lot to prove this season and while there's no question he's going to get a big bump in pay when compared to $1 million he's currently earning, if he's able to increase his offensive output and get somewhere in the range of 15-20 goals, not only will that payday likely be above $3 million annually, but it'll show to everyone that the Vancouver Canucks made the wrong decision by trading him.
Previously on Vancouver Hockey Daily
| POLL | ||
SEPTEMBRE 7|1905 ANSWERS Completed Trade Between the Canucks and Oilers Proving to Be a Mistake After Leon Draisaitl's Latest Comments Do you think the Vancouver Canucks gave up on Vasily Podkolzin too early? | ||
| Yes | 1450 | 76.1 % |
| No | 455 | 23.9 % |
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