Oilers’ Vasily Podkolzin to take leave of absence after father’s death
On Wednesday, the Edmonton Oilers announced that forward Vasily Podkolzin will be taking a leave of absence. It comes after his father, Alexander, suddenly passed away on Tuesday night.
“The Oilers extend heartfelt condolences to Podkolzin and his family during this difficult time,” the team said in a release. Podkolzin is returning to his family’s home in Russia.
The news comes just a day removed from Podkolzin signing a three-year contract extension, in which the 24-year-old will carry an AAV of $2.95 million through the 2028-29 campaign.
Podkolzin was traded to the Oilers last August by the Vancouver Canucks. It came just a few months after signing his latest contract. He came to Edmonton not long after the St. Louis Blues signed Oilers lost forward Dylan Holloway.
Podkolzin might not have brought the same type of offensive firepower that Holloway has, but he proved to be a crucial player in Edmonton’s forward group. He appeared in the most games in his NHL career last year, playing in all 82 games. The Moscow native scored eight goals and 16 assists for 24 points, totaling 48 minutes in penalties. He also posted three goals and seven assists for 10 points in the postseason, as the Oilers made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Final, only to lose to the Florida Panthers for the second year in a row.
It was the 24-year-old’s first full season in the NHL since his rookie season with the Canucks in 2021-22, having split the previous two seasons with Vancouver and its American Hockey League affiliate, the Abbotsford Canucks.
Across four seasons, Podkolzin has appeared in 219 NHL regular-season games, scoring 26 goals and 33 assists for 59 points.
Prior to his North American pro career, Podkolzin represented his home nation in various tournaments. He played for Russia at the IIHF World Junior Championship three times, taking home the silver medal in 2020 and the bronze in 2019. He also won silver at the 2019 IIHF Under-18 Men’s World Championship, and bronze at the 2018 Hlinka Gretzky Cup.