“Everyone Wants To Be The Hero”: Podkolzin Opens Up About Playoffs, His Role With Oilers
After reaching two straight Stanley Cup Finals, the Edmonton Oilers had their worst regular season since 2019 and failed to get past the first round of the playoffs for the first time in five years. The Oilers lost to the Anaheim Ducks in six games. Vasily Podkolzin, who was one of Edmonton’s most effective players in the playoffs, described the season as average.
“If I had to point to one thing, our penalty kill was not good enough,” Podkolzin said in an exclusive interview with R.org. “At 5-on-5, we played well, but the penalty kill hurt us. We never really found our game in these playoffs.”
The 24-year-old Russian forward believes Game 4 was the turning point in the series against the Ducks. The Oilers lost 4-3 in overtime, despite having a chance to win it in regulation. Late in the third period, Connor McDavid could not beat Lukas Dostal.
“That game gave Anaheim emotion and took it away from us,” Podkolzin said. “We were leading, we could have won it in regulation, but then we lost in overtime, and that knocked us down. Especially because Game 4s usually went well for us, but this time it was the opposite. Although we went into Game 5 confident, at home, in front of our fans, and we knew we were going to win.”
Podkolzin named injuries as the main reason for the Oilers’ disappointing playoff run.
“I think there were several factors. First of all, injuries. The players we were counting on could not show their best. Everyone is human, No. 97 is human, too. Everyone goes through this. Now it feels like maybe it is even for the better. There is time to recover, heal the injuries and come back stronger next season.
“We all knew about Connor’s condition. He was basically playing on one leg. Dickinson also had a leg issue. Leon had just returned from a knee injury. I think he probably needed a few more weeks. When you play with that in your head, it affects you. Maybe everything happened the way it was supposed to.”
Podkolzin also praised Anaheim’s progress this season and pointed out the Ducks’ main strengths.
“They let you play, and they also create a lot themselves. They allow chances, but they create even more. It looked like that kind of game should suit us, but their power play decided it. Their young guys played a key role and decided the series.”
“In Canada, People Like To Dramatize”
The Oilers had reached the Stanley Cup Final in each of the previous two seasons, losing both times to the Florida Panthers. Their disappointing result this year has been linked to the fatigue built up over those long playoff runs. Podkolzin, however, does not see that as an excuse.
“It could have had an impact. But on the other hand, Florida reached the Final three years in a row. When you have a chance to play in the playoffs, you use it. I still think injuries played the biggest role. If everyone had been healthy, nobody knows how the series would have gone. Connor said it correctly: we were an average team.”
Podkolzin admitted that this season, he sometimes played with the thought: “Just make the playoffs.” He also noted that with 93 points, the Oilers would not have made the playoffs in the Eastern Conference. He does not believe the Olympics had a negative effect on the team.
“We had two players there, while other teams had five or six. The break probably even helped. Personally, I felt better after it. We needed that pause to rest before the final part of the season.”
Podkolzin watched the Olympic final, where Canada lost to the United States in overtime in Edmonton, and said it was something he would remember for the rest of his life.
“The final was on Sunday at 6 a.m. in Edmonton, and we had practice that day. Janmark and I went to a bar to watch hockey. At 6 a.m., everyone around us was drinking alcohol. Some people had not gone to bed, some were already having beer in the morning, and we were drinking water. When Hughes scored, everyone around us was crying. It was awful. I had never seen anything like that. In Canada, people truly live hockey. It is impossible to explain.
“McDavid came back after the loss in normal condition. Honestly, I thought it would be worse. Of course, we all texted him right away and supported him. I am sure people like that win eventually. The question is whether I will still be on his team.”
After the season, there has been plenty of talk around Edmonton because McDavid’s contract expires in 2028. If he does not win the Stanley Cup before then, there is a belief that he could leave the club.
“Those talks do not put pressure on me,” Podkolzin said. “In Canada, people like to dramatize. Of course, our leaders are at a good age now — 29 or 30 — and this is our window. We have two years. Nobody knows what will happen after that. But I look at it positively. We have strong players. We just need to build a team around them that will be ready to win. Then we will see how it goes. There will definitely be some changes in the offseason, and that is normal.”
Taking Strides
If the Oilers’ season was disappointing overall, Podkolzin can still see his own season as a positive one. Two years after being traded from Vancouver, he has turned into one of Edmonton’s most useful forwards and now plays on a line with Leon Draisaitl.
During the regular season, Podkolzin set a career high with 37 points, including 19 goals and 18 assists. His increased role was also clear from his ice time. Last season, he averaged 13:13 per game. This season, that number went up to 15:23.
“Last year, I played on the fourth line, and this year I was in the top six with strong linemates,” Podkolzin said. “You could say that Leon, Kapanen and I found each other. At some point, the points had to come. I got more ice time. That always affects the numbers.”
He also made a strong impression in the playoffs. The 24-year-old Russian had six points, with three goals and three assists, in six games against Anaheim. Oilers general manager Stan Bowman called Podkolzin the team’s most useful player in the playoffs.
“That is nice,” Podkolzin said. “Of course, I wanted to take on more. Everyone wants to be the hero. But the question is whether you are ready for that level. The series showed that I am not fully there yet. But I did take a step forward.
“At the same time, it is also connected to the fact that others had injuries and could not show their best hockey, even though their ceiling is not even visible. So I would not overvalue my playoff. It was a good round, but nothing more.”
For two straight years, Podkolzin has played every regular-season game without missing one. He admitted he keeps track of the streak and does not want it to end.
“But a couple of times it was close. After New Year’s, I remember I had a high fever. The doctor said: if you have a fever, you are not playing. But I did not want to miss the game, because when you have that kind of streak, you do not want to break it. In the end, I felt a little better, played — not my best game, but I played. After that, there were no similar situations. Although sometimes you have small issues, and they tell you there is no point taking risks. But you are already in it and you do not want to fall out.”
“With Connor, Everything Is Faster. With Leon, It Is Easier To Read The Game”
Podkolzin not only improved his production. He also became much more noticeable physically. For the second year in a row, he led the Oilers in hits, finishing this regular season with 242. His 52 blocked shots were also a strong number for a forward, ranking seventh on the team and second among Oilers forwards.
“Honestly, I did not even know that was a lot,” Podkolzin said.
“But yes, most of them hit the legs, the knees. It looks like there were no serious consequences. We have that kind of defensive system: wingers block a lot of shots because we protect the middle more. So you often end up in a situation where you simply have to get in front of the shot.”
Podkolzin does not avoid fighting either, though he admits he does not enjoy it and only does it when necessary.
“I am not someone who likes fighting, and I will never be that kind of player. It just happens sometimes: someone hits Connor or Leon, and often it happens when I am on the ice. Then you have to respond. I have always admired guys who know in advance they are going to fight. I probably would not sleep the night before if that were me. But when it happens suddenly, you do not think. You fight quickly and then move on. You have to protect the team leaders. Last year, Perry did that. Now it depends on the situation, and young guys, including me, also step in.”
For most of the season, Podkolzin played on a line with Draisaitl and Kasperi Kapanen. But when Draisaitl was injured, he also spent time with McDavid.
“With Connor, everything is faster,” Podkolzin said. “He makes you constantly look for him on the ice. That is the first decision in any situation. Sometimes it is hard because of his speed. He does everything several times faster.
“With Leon, it is easier in terms of chemistry. We played a lot together, and I roughly know where he is going to be. So it is easier to read the game with him.”
Dealing With Tragedy
Before the start of the season, Podkolzin signed a three-year contract extension with the Oilers, carrying an average annual value of $2.95 million. Considering his progress and the rising salary cap, he could have signed a more profitable deal this summer. But Podkolzin does not regret getting it done before the season.
“You never know how things would have gone,” Podkolzin said. “I am happy with what I have. I cannot take that kind of risk. In Edmonton, sometimes it is worth sacrificing money for the chance to go far in the playoffs.
“When you have certainty, it is easier to enter the season. But at that moment, I did not really feel it because there was a tragedy in my family.”
A few days after signing the extension, Podkolzin lost his father. He left the team for several days and flew to Russia for the funeral.
“It was a heart attack. He had a healthy lifestyle, but unfortunately, it happened. It was very hard to go through. He was the closest person to me. Only work helped. You have to keep your mind busy and move forward. This pain will stay forever, but life continues.
“Maybe it sounds crazy, but talking to yourself helps. You have to make agreements with yourself, too, calm yourself down. I have a family, responsibility to my wife and child, and that also helps me stay strong. We are men. We have to be strong.”
Podkolzin also spoke about his offseason plans. He will spend the next two weeks with his family in Edmonton before flying home to Russia. This year, the forward wants to give himself more time to rest — three or four weeks.
“I want to make the first cycle about recovery because there are small injuries. Sometimes the shoulder hurts, sometimes the back. I will focus on that, and then in June I will start working fully,” Podkolzin said.
He will begin his offseason training in St. Petersburg. In August, he will fly to Vancouver to work with Adam Nugent-Hopkins, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins’s older brother, who has become a strength and conditioning coach.