"Thanks for everything": Podkolzin bids farewell to Canucks fans after trade to Oilers

After five years of the Vancouver Canucks trying to make it work, the Vasiliy Podkolzin era finally came to an end on Sunday.

In a weekend trade that was a little shocking at first but more sensible after taking a step back, the 23-year-old forward was flipped to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for a 2025 fourth-round draft pick that originally belonged to the Ottawa Senators.

Following the deal, Podkolzin took to Instagram for a short but sweet goodbye message to the Vancouver faithful.

“This city will always be special to our family. Thanks for everything, Vancouver. Glad to be a part of @edmontonoilers,” Podkolzin wrote in the post.

Back in 2023, the Russian-born Podkolzin and his wife Sasha welcomed a baby while living in Vancouver, meaning their connection to the city really will be for life, regardless of where his hockey journey takes him.

Podkolzin, who was originally picked at 10th overall back in 2019 by the then Jim Benning-led Canucks, never quite lived up to the potential of his high draft selection.

“We would like to thank Vasily for his time here with the Canucks,” Vancouver GM Patrik Allvin said in a statement. “Podz put in a lot of work both on and off the ice and we wish him all the best in Edmonton.”

Podkolzin put up 18 goals and 17 assists for a total of 35 points in 137 games for the Canucks across his career in Vancouver, spanning the last three seasons. He particularly struggled this past year, putting up just two assists and no goals in 19 games, a year after a 4-3-7 performance across 39 contests in 2022-23.

With several roster projections putting Podkolzin as the 13th forward for this upcoming season, it appears Vancouver’s front office decided to move on and recoup some value for the once-promising prospect, even if a fourth-round pick isn’t exactly the juiciest return.