Oilers winger Vasily Podkolzin taking leave of absence

Edmonton Oilers winger Vasily Podkolzin will be taking an indefinite leave of absence from the club after his father, Alexander, “suddenly and tragically passed away” the team said in a press release. He’s returned to his native Russia in the interim.

Whenever Podkolzin is ready to return — an understandably wide-ranging timeline — he’ll be walking into a top-nine role in Edmonton. The 24-year-old played in all 82 games for the Oilers last year and saw notable deployment alongside Leon Draisaitl as a checking winger, putting together an 8-16–24 scoring line while averaging 13:13 of ice time per night. He also led Edmonton in hits by a wide margin with 211.

That was enough to earn him a three-year extension with a $2.95M cap hit, a deal he signed just Tuesday. He otherwise would have been a restricted free agent with arbitration rights next summer after inking a two-year, $2M deal with the Canucks in April 2024. Edmonton acquired him from Vancouver via trade before he played a game under that contract.

If Podkolzin does not return to the Oilers before the beginning of the regular season, he can be designated as a non-roster player and will not count against their 23-player roster limit. His current $1M cap hit, however, would still count against their books. If he’s expected to miss at least 10 games and 24 days from the start of the campaign, they can place him on long-term injured reserve for potential salary relief if necessary.