Canucks: Passing on productive Matt Boldy makes Vasily Podkolzin's struggles stand out

Article content

Projecting success for NHL draft prospects is like reading a racing form.

Article content

Before placing a bet, you ponder whether a promising thoroughbred has a credible performance portfolio, can break smartly from the gate, won’t get lost in the pack, and knows how to charge when it matters most.

It’s why favourites usually find the winner’s circle or, occasionally, leave bettors flummoxed.

No team is immune from the shock of a potential franchise player turning into a project — especially when passing on another who becomes more prominent.

Scouts also reason if a player doesn’t log 200 career games in The Show, it’s considered a blow. Which brings us to wingers Matt Boldy and Vasily Podkolzin.

Boldy was a wise 12th overall selection by the Minnesota Wild in the 2019 NHL Draft. However, the jury is still out on Podkolzin, who went 10th overall to the Vancouver Canucks.

Article content

Article content

In 215 games, Boldy has amassed 175 points (76-99) — including a career-high 69 (29-40) this season — and as a top-six roster staple, he has 60 goals in the past two campaigns. It’s why the 6-foot-2, 201-pound product of the U.S. National Team Development program was locked up in January with a seven-year, $49-million US extension.

Podkolzin, 23, was granted a two-year, we’re-not-sure-yet, extension in April at $1 million per season. He projects as a fourth-line left winger, or extra forward, and is waiver eligible. No option of shifting between Abbotsford and Vancouver, so the incentive is obvious.

“We are happy with how hard Vasily has worked to try and become a more consistent player,” said Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin. “While there is still room for him to grow, starting the year in Abbotsford and working his way back up shows the type of commitment and dedication we want.”

Article content

The Canucks are in a go-for-it window and need more from Podkolzin than just the promise of progress. He has teased at effectiveness and his 6-foot-1, 190-pound frame is what head coach Rick Tocchet craves in wingers.

He has called Podkolzin a moose and a bull, but needs to see predictability. His 139 NHL games have produced 35 points (18-17) and gaps with delayed reactions to plays.

“He works so hard, but there are just things in his game with time and space, and he doesn’t move his feet,” assessed Tocchet. “He doesn’t see the play. It’s like chess. You have to think two steps before you make the play.”

Run this by Podkolzin and you hear the desire. The amiable winger has grown up fast and is a husband and father and provider. Appearing in his first two NHL playoffs games this season helps.

Article content

“This is pretty awesome,” he said. “It’s my third year here and my first playoff game was a big point for me and my family. So many guys have helped me get to this point.”

So, how did opposing wingers get to this place?

After all, Boldy and Podkolzin broke from the gate with solid NHL rookie seasons — 26 points (14-12) in 79 games for Podkolzin and 39 points (15-24) for Boldy — but then came a significant shift.

Whether it was Boldy’s schooling in the demanding with the USNTDP, two years at the high-profile Boston University program, or an abundance of self-confidence, he carried a certain swagger on to the ice. He had his wayward moments, but not very many.

Boldy has always been bold and a bit brash. He amassed 43 points (17-26) in 28 games on a high-octane USNTDP roster in 2018-19. And at the under-18 world championship he had a dozen points (3-9) in seven games to prove he could thrive among elite draft talent.

Article content

“I can play power forward with a lot of skill and make plays while still protecting the puck,” Boldy told this reporter before the 2019 draft, in which I was convinced he was going 10th overall. “It’s something a lot of guys can’t really do that well.

“Growing up, I always had really good hands and it’s something I’ve worked on a lot and have had a lot of fun with.

“It’s doing things defencemen really don’t expect. I like to chip pucks to myself and get them in the air, and a lot of defencemen struggle with being able to knock them down or aren’t used to seeing that. It kind of confuses them.”

There’s nothing confusing about Podkolzin.

After two seasons in Russia, his NHL rookie season took off when Travis Green was replaced as bench boss after 25 games (8-15-0-2) by the affable Bruce Boudreau. His encouraging directive was simple. Play to your strengths and the other stuff will come.

Article content

However, Podkolzin struggled through 39 outings the following season in failing to grasp a total game and had but seven points (4-3) before being sent to Abbotsford, where he did the work to earn another shot and plenty of plaudits.

Podkolzin’s 18 points (7-11) in 28 games in the AHL this season were a result of addressing adversity and doing something about it.

“The first two weeks were really hard,” he 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 remember who you are and start appreciating.”

Now he has to apply all that with heightened urgency.

bkuzma@postmedia.com

Article content