Vasily Podkolzin hasn’t had the easiest time in the NHL since his rookie season. The former 10th overall pick has spent more and more time in the minors as his career has gone along, and that backward progression hasn’t done the Vancouver Canucks any favours when it comes to rounding out the lineup.

The 2023-24 season saw Podkolzin start in the minors, featuring on the top line for Abbotsford. He was involved in a pretty scary incident that saw him concussed, but he managed to finish his time off in the AHL with 28 points in 44 games. Not bad, but certainly not mind-blowing numbers from a former lottery pick.

In March, the Canucks recalled Podkolzin for the stretch run to the playoffs, playing the Russian winger in a bottom-6 role for 19 of the final games of the season. He didn’t fare poorly in that span; he looked like a pretty complete player. The forechecking, the motor, and that passing ability that had him rated so highly as a prospect shone through in the limited minutes he received.

The only thing, and a big thing, was that Podkolzin didn’t produce. It’s hard to say what he could’ve done in a more elevated role, but the point is this: nothing that Podkolzin did was enough to push him up the lineup. With only 2 assists in his 2023-24 NHL season, the winger continues to underwhelm with his offensive numbers, despite what he does off the puck. It’s frustrating because it’s clear that there are plenty of tools and desire – it just doesn’t translate to the scoresheet much, if at all.

Podkolzin would appear in 3 playoff games for the Canucks, tallying up a single assist in that span. He did ink a two-year extension for a $1.0 million cap hit on April 18th, showing that Vancouver still believes they can get something from him. But at this point, it’s difficult to imagine that the winger will ever reach that top-6 projection that many had for him when he was drafted in 2019.

However, it shouldn’t rule out a possible breakthrough. Again, Podkolzin already does a lot of the right things. Tocchet has spoken favourably about the style of game that the Russian brings, and there are a lot of minute contributions that help goals get scored. This summer will be a big one for his career as it approaches a tipping point, with Podkolzin eligible for waivers next year. Being a top-6 forward is probably out of the question. However, there’s still reason to believe that he could be a solid middle-6 option who can be responsible defensively and chip in with the occasional tally.

Potential can still be mined from Podkolzin, but the ceiling and time for that to happen is rapidly shrinking. His career numbers have been underwhelming to this point, with a lack of evidence that he can produce consistently in the NHL. He has the opportunity to change that in 2024-25, but as for his 2023-24 year, Podkolzin missed another opportunity to carve out a place for himself on a club that is struggling to fill out its lineup with high-end wingers.