The hits just keep on coming for the Vancouver Canucks.<\/p>\n
If being securely in last place and trading away multiple big-name players wasn\u2019t enough, an old trade is coming back to haunt them. This time, it\u2019s the deal that sent Vasily Podkolzin to the Edmonton Oilers<\/a>\u00a0in the summer of 2024.<\/p>\n Canucks GM Patrik Allvin opted to cut ties with the former first-round pick after a few disappointing seasons, only to see him thrive in the Alberta capital ever since. Podkolzin recently notched his 15th goal of the season with Edmonton on Sunday night, marking a new career-high that surpassed the 14 goals he scored in his rookie year with Vancouver.<\/p>\n No current Canucks players have more goals than Podkolzin \u2014 he\u2019s tied with Brock Boeser and Drew O\u2019Connor.<\/p>\n Podkolzin now has 15 goals, same as the #Canucks<\/a> leader pic.twitter.com\/0x8mRUI4Bd<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Rob Williams (@RobTheHockeyGuy) March 9, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Trading away a former top-10 draft pick only to see him come into his own with a hated division rival is one thing, but Podkolzin is precisely the type of player this version of the Canucks is in need of.<\/p>\n They are desperate to add effective, young, and hardworking players who bring a positive attitude to the rink. Those are all things that Podkolzin has shown in Edmonton, and the Canucks don\u2019t even have anything to show from the trade.<\/p>\n The 2025 fourth-round pick acquired from the Oilers in the Podkolzin deal was given back to Edmonton this past summer in exchange for Evander Kane<\/a>, who has been among the Canucks\u2019 most disappointing players this year.<\/p>\n In hindsight, moving on from Podkolzin now seems a bit premature, especially for the low return that they got. He was a 23-year-old who had shown flashes of potential in his rookie year and was looking to take a step forward.<\/p>\n For whatever reason, the Canucks didn\u2019t want to give him that extended NHL look. Edmonton, however, did, and Podkolzin has turned into a productive depth forward and a good foot soldier for a Stanley Cup-contending team.<\/p>\n It isn\u2019t even just the scoring that has made Podkolzin valuable. He\u2019s among Edmonton\u2019s strongest forecheckers and has become a staple on the team\u2019s penalty kill. The Russian forward has also shown an affinity to drop the gloves, having fought three times this season.<\/p>\n Podkolzin may have been drafted with the expectation of being a goalscorer, but he has turned into a multifaceted depth winger that can still bring a lot of value without scoring 30 goals a season.<\/p>\n McDavid got hit by Kovacevic and Podkolzin IMMEDIATELY fought him \ud83d\ude08\ud83e\udd4a pic.twitter.com\/JzSKev99eX<\/a><\/p>\n