Vasily Podkolzin with the Edmonton Oilers.

Photo credit: Perry Nelson – Imagn Images

A former Vancouver Canucks first round pick, who is fresh off a trip to the Stanley Cup Final, is reportedly set for a big pay day next July when he becomes a restricted free agent.

After a difficult 2023-24 season that saw him spend the majority of his time in the American Hockey League with Abbotsford, the Vancouver Canucks completed a trade with the Edmonton Oilers that saw former top-ten pick Vasily Podkolzin head to Alberta in exchange for a 2025 fourth round selection, which was eventually dealt back to the club for Evander Kane.”Yeah, Pods [Podkolzin] is great. Arguably the hardest worker I’ve ever played with in my career. He’s at the rink maybe three, four hours before you’re on the ice. He’s there at least an hour before everybody else.

He’s very quiet, but he goes about business and he’s super committed and dedicated. You can ask anybody in our room, everybody has a lot of respect for Pods and the way he holds himself and the work that he puts in. He’s a great teammate.” Stecher said.

Former Vancouver Canucks first rounder reportedly set for big pay day next summer

Podkolzin went on to appear in every single regular season and Stanley Cup Playoff game for the Edmonton Oilers last season, suiting up for 104 contests between October and mid-July, registering 34 points (11 goals, 23 assists) and 68 penalty minutes.

The Moscow, Russia native is set to play a bit of a bigger role next season, likely on the Oilers’ third line and with it being a contract year for him, he has a significant opportunity in front of him to prove to Edmonton’s management that he’s ready for a bump in pay.

During a recent appearance on Sports 1440 in Edmonton, Kyle Stich of AFP Analytics believes that Vasily Podkolzin’s next contract could come in around $2.3-2.4 million annually, which is a pretty big jump from the $1 million he’s earning this coming season.

“We see Podkolzin in a similar spot as Tsyplakov with the Islanders coming in around $2.3 to $2.4m,” Stich said.

We’ll have to wait and see what the 2025-26 season has in store for Vasily Podkolzin, but so far, he’s showing that the Vancouver Canucks might have made a mistake by trading him away too early into his career.

Previously on CanucksDaily

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Ex-Canucks First Rounder Reportedly Set for Massive Pay Day with Western Conference Rival

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