The Edmonton Oilers announced that they have signed right winger Vasily Podkolzin to a three year extension. This new contract will kick in for the 2026-27 season and expire following the 2028-29 campaign. Podkolzin's new deal will see him earn a total of $8.85 million, but a $2.95-million cap hit for those three seasons. Furthermore, TSN's Pierre LeBrun reported [https://x.com/PierreVLeBrun/status/1970520703616041002] that the Oilers [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/edmonton-oilers]' right winger will receive $1 million in bonuses in all three seasons, which is included in his $2.95 million average annual value. The Russian is entering his fifth NHL season and the final year of his current two-year, $1-million contract. The 24-year-old is coming off his first season with the Oilers after being traded to Edmonton by the Vancouver Canucks [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/vancouver-canucks] during the 2024 off-season. Podkolzin was exchanged for a 2025 fourth-round pick, which was later traded back to the Oilers, and they selected left winger David Lewandowski. With Edmonton last season, Podkolzin scored eight goals and 24 points in 82 regular-season games. He finished the season with a plus-one rating and averaged a career-high 13:13 of ice time per game. Later in the post-season, his play improved with three goals and 10 points in 22 games. He would end the playoffs with a plus-seven rating and 11:02 of average ice time. Vasily Podkolzin (Kirby Lee-Imagn Images) [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/5bd5a933-ca00-41e0-8a2c-7d547e1e57f2.jpeg] Vasily Podkolzin (Kirby Lee-Imagn Images) Going into the 2025-26 campaign, Podkolzin is expected to take on a bigger role in the Oilers' top-six forward group, with a chance to lineup next to superstars Leon Draisaitl [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/edmonton-oilers/latest-news/on-and-off-the-ice-draisaitl-talks-his-role-in-mcdavid-s-negotiations] or Connor McDavid [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/edmonton-oilers/latest-news/host-suggests-mcdavid-holding-shield-for-oilers-teammates] on a nightly basis. The 2024-25 campaign was Podkolzin's best since his rookie season with the Canucks in 2021-22. In that year, he put up 14 goals and 12 assists for 26 points. He'll be looking to crush those totals in this upcoming season. For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free [https://thehockeynews.store/products/print-subscription]. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here [http://eepurl.com/i7OC4I]. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com.
