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Baggedmilk talks Podkolzin’s success in Edmonton, Oilers’ issues, and more: Canucks Conversation
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Photo credit: © Walter Tychnowicz-Imagn Images
Clarke Corsan
Mar 21, 2026, 13:45 EDTUpdated: Mar 21, 2026, 13:44 EDT
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On Friday’s episode of Canucks Conversation, David Quadrelli and Harman Dayal were joined by OilersNation’s Baggedmilk to discuss Vasily Podkolzin’s resurgence in Edmonton, the Oilers’ current issues, and where the team stands down the stretch.
Baggedmilk started with Podkolzin, who has quietly carved out a role for himself and become a fan favourite in Edmonton.
“As I watch Podz, I don’t understand how he was given up on for a fourth-round pick,” Baggedmilk said. “His work rate is excellent, he just set a career high in goals this year, and even last year when he had eight goals and 24 points, Edmonton fell in love with him very quickly because even if he’s not scoring goals, you never question his work on the ice. That’s been a godsend in a town like Edmonton because we love our blue-collar players. We often hear stories about Podz being first at the rink, last to leave, and this year he’s getting some success scoring. Edmonton fell in love pretty quick.”
While Podkolzin has been a bright spot, the Oilers have also had to deal with a major setback in losing Leon Draisaitl to injury.
“It’s a complete gut punch when you find out he’s missing the rest of the regular season,” Baggedmilk said. “When he got hurt, it was a pretty nothing play – a clean hit where the guy was finishing his check and he went into the boards awkwardly. Ultimately it’s a massive blow for the Oilers in terms of him not only being the second-best player on the roster, but all the situations he plays in.”
The impact has already been noticeable.
“The power play over the last two games hasn’t been the same without Draisaitl. It’s disappointing, and when the coaching staff and GM say they expect him back for the playoffs, none of us believe them either. Their injury timelines have been more suggestions than actual news.”
That uncertainty has created tension around the team, especially given Draisaitl’s reputation.
“There’s a lot of people feeling tense in Edmonton. Draisaitl is also known for playing hurt, a lot. When I think of him missing the remaining twelve games of the season, how hurt is he really? This guy doesn’t miss games even when he is hurt, so I’m not sure exactly what’s going on and the Oilers aren’t going to tell us.”
Beyond injuries, Baggedmilk was blunt about the team’s defensive struggles.
“Not currently as it is right now,” he said when asked if the Oilers’ defence is good enough for another Cup run. “And not just the defence – the forwards in their own zone are a disaster. Nobody is worried about the offence, they’re scoring goals, but in the defensive zone their coverage is so poor. I’m not sure if it’s a system change and that’s why they brought Paul Coffey back hoping he can change things, but the coverage from everyone is awful.”
Goaltending has been another major concern.
“The other glaring elephant in the room is the goaltending is disastrous. The Tristan Jarry trade is going to go down as one of the all-time bad trades for the Oilers and it only happened two months ago. It’s stunning how bad Tristan Jarry has been.”
Despite all of that, the Oilers remain firmly in the playoff picture – largely thanks to a weak Pacific Division.
“A positive for the Oilers is the Pacific is so bad, they’re still only a point out of being in the lead for the division,” Baggedmilk said. “Despite all the problems with goaltending and inconsistencies and ups and downs, they’re still in the mix to hang a division banner. If ever there was a season for them to stumble through the first 75–80 percent of the year, why not do it during a year when the Pacific Division is historically awful?”
Even with the flaws, there are still a few positives- including but not limited to Podkolzin’s emergence.
“I like where Matt Savoie is at. He had a slow start to the season but is coming along,” Baggedmilk added. “There are some positives to be found, and I’d much rather be where we’re at now, talking about things like ‘how do the Oilers get back to a third Cup Final’ compared to where things were when we started OilersNation in 2007.”
For all the concerns, Edmonton remains in a position most teams would still envy, even if the path forward doesn’t look perfect.
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