With the additions made on the free agent market by Patrik Allvin this summer, there was a possibility that Vasily Podkolzin could be traded by the Vancouver Canucks before training camp opened and that's exactly what happened on Sunday.
After news broke of his trade to the Edmonton Oilers, Vasily Podkolzin took to social media to thank the city of Vancouver for his time with the organization and added that he's glad to be apart of his new team.
In 137 career games with the Vancouver Canucks, Podkolzin had 35 points (18 goals, 17 assists) and 43 penalty minutes. He also registered 46 points (22 goals, 24 assists) in 72 games for Vancouver's American Hockey League affiliate, the Abbotsford Canucks.
It's going to be interesting to see if Podkolzin is given an opportunity in training camp and pre-season games to prove to the Oilers' coaching staff that he's ready to be an NHLer on a full-time basis and if he'll be on the opening night roster. The Oilers' forward group is fairly deep, so Podkolzin will need to have a big pre-season to ensure he makes it onto Edmonton's roster to start the 2024-25 campaign.
