The Vancouver Canucks experienced heartbreak in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Before that, though, they made a rather interesting decision. The Canucks signed forward Vasily Podkolzin to a two-year contract worth $2 million total. Signing Podkolzin made sense as the young forward had reached the end of his entry-level contract. However, the terms of the deal opened a few eyes.
Among the people surprised by the contracts is Podkolzin himself. The 22-year-old Russian forward sat down for an interview with Cherkas Atlant. Though the interview is in Russian, Pro Hockey Rumors found that Podkolzin expressed his surprise at receiving a two-year contract from Vancouver.
The former 10th overall pick played just 19 games in the NHL this season. He failed to score a goal in those games while adding just two assists. The Moscow, Russia native appeared in two games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. However, he made little impact as the Canucks were eliminated by the Edmonton Oilers.
Canucks' Vasily Podkolzin has failed to match rookie season
Vasily Podkolzin had a ton of promise coming out of the 2019 NHL Draft. He earned game time in the KHL with SKA St. Petersburg after his draft year. And in 2021, he came over to North America after scoring five goals and 11 points in 35 KHL games during the 2020-21 season.
Podkolzin's rookie season showed that he could produce relatively well in the NHL. He scored 14 goals in his debut season and finished with 26 goals in 79 games. He didn't receive any Calder Trophy votes but the Canucks forward showed a lot of potential.
In the seasons following, though, he has left a lot to be desired. Outside of his rookie season, Podkolzin has scored just four NHL goals. His most recent NHL goal came on March 23, 2023. He scored in a 7-2 beatdown of the San Jose Sharks.
In 2023-24, Podkolzin did have some success in the AHL. He found the back of the net 14 times for the Abbotsford Canucks while finishing with 28 points in 44 games. In three Calder Cup Playoff games, he added one assist.
Podkolzin's two-year contract with the Canucks is essentially a prove-it contract. It's not entirely unprecedented for Vancouver to do this, either. Fellow 2019 draft pick Nils Hoglander signed a similar two-year contract last summer.
The Canucks are hoping to make a return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2024. Podkolzin, who is now waiver-eligible, should receive a shot at making an impact. It'll certainly be interesting to see if he can live up to the potential Vancouver saw in him when they picked him top-10 in 2019.
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