Canucks: Why this recall of Vasily Podkolzin matters more than others

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This is what occurs during countdown to the NHL trade deadline Friday.

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The recall of winger Vasily Podkolzin is looked upon as a promotion based on merit. The Vancouver Canucks can gauge progress of their prospect, who turned a disappointing Oct. 1 demotion to the AHL into determination to develop a more complete game in Abbotsford.

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However, with three games left before the trade deadline, there’s also a speculative school of thought. Is Podkolzin being showcased in advance of the Canucks putting together a package in pursuit of a top-six winger like highly coveted Jake Guentzel?

The Pittsburgh Penguins want two younger NHL-ready prospects in return for the pending unrestricted free agent. Podkolzin, 22, has logged 119 games in The Show. Nils Hoglander, 23, has played 202 NHL games and the winger has a career-high 19 goals this season. Are they enough to pique the Pens’ interest or are they looking for more?

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If it’s first-round picks Jonathan Lekkerimaki, 19, and Tom Willander, 19, the Canucks should hang up the phone. Maybe a third-round pick in defenceman Elias Pettersson, 20, but not the dynamic and emerging duo.

In the past, it was reasonable to assume that Hoglander and Podkolzin may have been expendable. Not so much now. Not after putting in the work.

However, that’s not how hockey operations departments function. A present need can often trump future hope, especially with a go-for-it-all mantra. And connecting the dots can also determine how the past may affect the future. 

Management here has a connection with Guentzel, 29, and a challenge to fit him in financially as a longer fit. He has 52 points (22-30) in 50 games and a career 34 goals in 58 post-season games excites several suitors.

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He’s currently sidelined with a suspected finger fracture suffered Feb. 14 and eligible to return Sunday from long-term injury reserve. He is practising. 

How Hoglander and Podkolzin may fit elsewhere is trumped by their growing value here.

On Sunday, head coach Rick Tocchet lauded Hoglander for opening the scoring in a grinding 2-1 win at Anaheim in which he hounded pucks on the forecheck with a physical edge.

“Maybe our best forward — he had some jump,” said Tocchet. “He kept the puck on his stick and drove the ‘D’ wide. Really good tonight.”

And then there was Podkolzin.

He had a strong opening forechecking shift by getting behind the net to set up a chance. He followed it up by winning a board battle and ripped a wrist shot wide from the slot.

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“He was pretty good,” assessed Tocchet. “There were some good moments. If he holds on to pucks and gets on the forecheck, that’s something we’re looking for.”

And so are other teams.

First-round picks are often allowed to showcase their stuff as raw rookies — Podkolzin had 14 goals and 26 points in 2021-22 — before the tough love.

The manner in which Podkolzin split last season between the NHL and the AHL, and how he improved this season in Abbotsford to amass 15 goals and 28 points in 44 games, hasn’t gone unnoticed.

Tocchet called Podklozin a moose and a bull last season as he got a grip on an NHL game. The restricted free agent has all kinds of incentive to become an NHL roster mainstay. It stretches from the ice to the homefront for the Moscow native, the 10th overall pick in the 2019 NHL draft.

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Podkolzin was married at age 19 and the first-time father has added incentive. As a pro athlete, provider and support system for wife Sasha, his NHL career pursuit and home life took on new meaning with the birth of daughter Alisa in July.

“The big highlight of my summer,” Podkolzin told Postmedia News following a team pre-camp systems and conditioning skate in September. “It’s a great feeling.”

Then came the demotion and curiosity of how he would handle another test of commitment to his craft.

“The first two weeks were really hard,” Podkolzin recalled. “You start thinking too much. ‘What should I do? What’s happening?’ I had two ways to go. Give up or work. It was good for me to get AHL games to remember who you are and start appreciating.”

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Those who have watched Podkolzin the most remained convinced he has turned a corner.

“People had these same questions with Hogie (Hoglander) last year – he’d gone backward and now he’s in the NHL,” said Abbotsford general manager Ryan Johnson. “Podz (Podkolzin) is a complete professional and working on his game and the details.

“When he moves his feet, it’s the things he can do to change the course of a game. We want him to use his strengths. That bull mentality he has when he gets going is very dangerous. We think extremely highly of the player and the person. We have a lot of belief.”

This week will tell us a lot about the degree of that belief.

bkuzma@postmedia.com

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