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Leon Draisaitl Reveals His Pick for the Oilers' Most Overlooked Talent


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Tyler Ball
September 4, 2025  (9:59 PM)
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Edmonton Oilers forwards Leon Draisaitl, Vasily Podkolzin, and Connor Brown having a discussion during a timeout in play.
Photo credit: Yahoo Sports

As the Edmonton Oilers return to practice superstar forward Leon Draisaitl revealed the most underrated teammate he is excited to play alongside this season.

The Edmonton Oilers are a team filled with stars that lead the way whether it be Connor McDavid, Evan Bouchard, Mattias Ekholm, or Leon Draisaitl himself.
This star heavy roster tends to mean that other role players and good veterans tend to get lost in the shuffle and end up not getting enough credit.
Today, during an interview after practice, Draisaitl made the statement that his linemate Vasily Podkolzin is the most underrated player on the team.

Leon Draisaitl Names Vasily Podkolzin The Most Underrated Oilers

In the interview captured by Oilers Nation Draisaitl was asked what he sees in Podkolzin that could allow him to take the next step.
Draisaitl was instantly incredibly complimentary of Podkolzin admitting that a lot of his success comes from the help he gets from Podkolzin.
Podzy does a lot of things that a lot of people who don't understand hockey don't end up seeing. He does a lot of the work for me. It lets me have a lot of time with the puck and sets me up for success.

Draisaitl continued and admitted that Podkolzin still has a lot of untapped potential that could come out in the form of an offensive explosion under the right circumstances.
I really love playing with him he's a great player. He's really really underrated with the puck. He's a great hockey mind and I think there's a lot more offense there and a lot more finish. Hopefully, it'll come out.
This is a huge vote of confidence for Podkolzin and seems to indicate that the young Russian winger will be stapled to Draisaitl's wing to begin the season.
The Oilers have been looking for another player to step up and support Draisaitl and McDavid at 24 years old with the right opportunity Podkolzin could be ready to smash his career high of 26 points during his rookie season when he played with the Vancouver Canucks.
As the season gets underway, all eyes will be on Podkolzin to see if he can earn the opportunity to play on the second line with Leon Draisaitl.
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SEPTEMBRE 4   |   69 ANSWERS
Leon Draisaitl Reveals His Pick for the Oilers' Most Overlooked Talent

Do you think Vasily Podkolzin will have a breakout year with the Edmonton Oilers?

Yes4463.8 %
No2536.2 %
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