Vasili Podkolzin shouldn’t, and won’t start in the Canucks’ top six next year

Many Vancouver Canucks fans are excited about the addition of Vasili Podkolzin to the team next season, and rightfully so. The 19-year-old Russian winger has all the makings of a potential top-six forward who could contribute right away, a la Nils Hoglander.

However, he shouldn’t, and won’t be pencilled in as a top-six winger at the start of next year.

Now, I’m sure many of you disagree with this since Hoglander stepped into that role right away, but the reality is that he shouldn’t have either. The main reason why the Swede was thrust into playing tough matchup minutes alongside Bo Horvat and Tanner Pearson in his rookie campaign is due to the team’s lack of depth, which could’ve been mitigated had they re-signed Tyler Toffoli.

More from The Canuck Way

• Which team won the Bo Horvat trade?
• What to expect from newcomers Anthony Beauvillier, Aatu Räty
• Back to the future: How the skate uniforms became a regular Canucks’ feature night
• Canucks kick off 2023 with disappointing 6-2 loss to Islanders
• 2nd period penalty trouble sinks Canucks in 4-2 loss against Winnipeg

Yes, Hoglander turned heads at training camp and rightfully deserved a full-time spot on Vancouver. He has even arguably been the Canucks’ most consistent forward this season, as Hoglander’s currently the only player on the team who has a corsi and expected goals percentage above 50% for skaters who have played over 100 minutes at five on five, according to Natural Stat Trick.

With that said, there’s no way Hoglander would be a top-six forward on a legitimate contender or most competent playoff teams for that matter, and his current true talent level is that of a third-line winger.

The same logic applies to Podkolzin, who should start in Vancouver’s bottom-six to begin his NHL career. His path to a more prominent role on the team is also more difficult than Hoglander’s since there isn’t a gaping hole in the top six with Pearson’s recent extension.

It’s also important to keep in mind that Hoglander’s success has nothing to do with how Podkolzin might perform, so it’s not out of the question if the young Russian takes more time to get his feet wet at the NHL level than expected. Yes, Podkolzin is a more highly touted prospect and has a polished two-way game, but development isn’t always linear so don’t expect him to be a top player right away.

Ultimately, no one should expect Podkolzin to start next season in Vancouver’s top-six, and Hoglander shouldn’t have either if it weren’t for poor asset management by the team.

But what do you think, Canucks fans? Do you expect Podkolzin to be thrust into a top-six role right away? Let us know in the comments below!