The Edmonton Oilers are working through a major decision in NHL Free Agency. Two of Edmonton's restricted free agents received offer sheets from the St. Louis Blues earlier in the week. Rumors of what the Oilers will do continue to circulate. Regardless of that, they did make a trade with the Vancouver Canucks to land Vasily Podkolzin on Sunday.
The Canucks traded the former top-10 pick to the Oilers, Vancouver announced. In return, Edmonton traded a previously acquired fourth-round pick for the 2025 NHL Draft. This pick was previously acquired from the Ottawa Senators.
“We would like to thank Vasily for his time here with the Canucks,” said Vancouver general manager Patrik Allvin, via the team's official press release. “Podz put in a lot of work both on and off the ice and we wish him all the best in Edmonton.”
Vasily Podkolzin trade has interesting timing for Oilers
This is a rather interesting trade given the timing for the Oilers. Forward Dylan Holloway is one of the players — defenseman Philip Broberg being the other — who received an offer sheet from the St. Louis Blues. Holloway, a former first-round pick, saw extended ice time in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. He played 25 games, scoring two goals and seven points.
Holloway did not spend the majority of his 2023-24 season in the NHL. In fact, he played less than 40 games with Edmonton before the playoffs. In that time, the 22-year-old scored six goals and nine points.
These numbers certainly aren't world-beating by any means. However, Holloway appears in line for a full-time role on the Oilers should Edmonton match his offer sheet. He could slot in on Edmonton's third line alongside veterans Adam Henrique and Corey Perry.
There is no guarantee the Oilers match his offer sheet, though. Edmonton could allow Holloway to sign with the Blues and receive a third-round pick from St. Louis in return. In that case, the team would need to find someone who could theoretically fill in on that third line.
Vasily Podkolzin certainly could be a candidate for that role. He did receive some time at the NHL level with the Canucks in 2023-24. However, he struggled for the most part. The former top-10 pick provided just two assists in 19 games for Vancouver this past season.
Another possibility is that Podkolzin could be traded again. Perhaps the Oilers package the former Canucks forward with one of their bloated salaries in another trade. This could allow them to clear the cap space needed to match both offer sheets extended by St. Louis.
The Oilers have less than 48 hours left to decide what to do. As a result, their trade for Podkolzin is rather interesting. Fans should keep an eye on this situation as Edmonton weighs the future of their two young restricted free agents with their organization.
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