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How Vasily Podkolzin has emerged into Leon Draisaitl’s go-to winger

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Throughout the past two regular seasons at five-on-five, Leon Draisaitl’s most common forward linemate has not been Connor McDavid. It has not been Ryan Nugent-Hopkins or Zach Hyman either. Instead, the forward who has most often ridden shotgun with the 2025 Rocket Richard winner is Vasily Podkolzin.

The Edmonton Oilers initially brought in Podkolzin in August 2024 from the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for a 2025 fourth‑round pick, just five days after Dylan Holloway signed an offer sheet with the St. Louis Blues and two days before Edmonton ultimately chose not to match it. Though the acquisition of Podkolzin—a young left-winger much like Holloway—was intended to shore up Edmonton’s forward depth following Holloway’s departure, expectations for Podkolzin weren’t exactly high.

Podkolzin was initially drafted 10th overall by the Canucks in the 2019 NHL Draft, but he never wound up being an impact player for Vancouver. In his final year with the Canucks organization, Podkolzin had just two points in 19 NHL games, as he spent the majority of that season with Vancouver’s AHL affiliate in Abbotsford. And even in the AHL, Podkolzin’s production wasn’t exactly awe-inspiring, as he posted 28 points in 44 games. As a result, not many expected Podkolzin to be much more than a depth player at best, and he began the 2024-25 season on Edmonton’s fourth line.

But, as usual, the Oilers did not have a strong start to that season, particularly highlighted by early........

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