The Edmonton Oilers are off to a 5-0-1 start, and two bargain-bin trades are driving a lot of the early noise. Vasily Podkolzin is suddenly finishing everything in sight, while Devon Levi has given the Oilers a calm, reliable presence in net that they haven’t had in a long time.
Both moves have already paid off. The real question is which one has been the bigger win.
Podkolzin’s case is easy to see. Edmonton got him from Vancouver for Ottawa’s 2025 fourth-round pick, a modest price for a player the Canucks selected 10th overall in 2019.
At the time, Vancouver had moved on and the Oilers saw a low-risk reclamation project. Two years later, he’s on a team-friendly extension that could end up looking like one of the most valuable deals on the roster.
He added two more goals in Tuesday’s 4-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings, pushing his season total to seven and stretching his point streak to six games, which is a career best. The biggest thing the Oilers love about him is the way he works.
He’s the first player on the ice and the last one off it. He plays responsibly at both ends, makes few errors, and brings a relentless edge every night.
The offense is finally matching the effort, and Edmonton may have stumbled into a potential 30-goal player.
Levi’s story is different, but the return has been just as loud. Edmonton sent Buffalo a 2028 third-round pick and got back a 2028 seventh-rounder as part of the deal.
Levi spent all of last season in the AHL. Now he’s 3-0 in his last three starts with a 1.34 goals-against average and a .956 save percentage, and he turned aside 39 of 40 shots in Los Angeles.
That kind of stability has been a rare sight for the Oilers. Connor McDavid praised Levi’s calming presence and said his timely saves are “half the battle in goaltending.” Levi looks like he may already have the starting job in Edmonton, where the Oilers are also hoping Tristan Jarry can bounce back.
So which trade grades out better?
The Podkolzin move has the stronger sample. He’s been productive for a while, and this season’s scoring surge is starting to look real.
The price was almost nothing, and getting a scorer next to McDavid is about as clean a win as a team can ask for. With Zach Hyman eventually coming back, there’s a real case that Podkolzin fits there naturally.
Levi’s argument starts with the position itself. Goalie matters most, and it’s been the Oilers’ biggest issue for years.
If he keeps this up, he changes the shape of the team. Still, his run is built on only a few starts, and he’s already had one rough night.
Podkolzin’s streak will cool off at some point.
In Other News...
Zach Hyman Return Timeline Just Became The Oilers Next Question
Zach Hymans wait to get back into the Edmonton lineup is stretching a little longer, and it comes at a time when the Oilers are still sorting through the early-season edges of their roster. He was injured in the preseason and remains day-to-day, with no expectation he will be available for the game against the Los Angeles Kings. For a team that leans on his pace, forecheck and finishing touch, any absence this early has a way of rippling beyond one wing spot.
Jake Walman is also on the mend, listed day-to-day with an upper-body injury and out for the upcoming game, which opens another hole on the back end. Shakir Mukhamadullin is set to step in on the left side, giving Edmonton a different look while it waits on the status of two regulars. The broader concern now is less about one night against Los Angeles than how long the Oilers have to keep adjusting before the lineup settles. [Read more 🡒]
Oilers Face A Risky McDavid Draisaitl Decision While Injuries Pile Up
Mike Babcocks first season behind the Edmonton bench has brought one of those lineup choices coaches love in theory and hate in practice. Vasily Podkolzin has been skating with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, and the fit has given the Oilers a look that has held up well while key pieces have been unavailable. With Zach Hyman, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Matt Savoie among the injuries thinning the forward group, Edmonton has had less room than usual to spread its offense around.
The question now is whether Babcock keeps leaning into the top line or starts using what remains of the roster to balance scoring across the lineup. Edmonton has been forced to protect its depth more carefully than it would like, and every adjustment up front carries some risk when so much of the attack already runs through McDavid and Draisaitl. Hymans expected return could ease that pressure and give the Oilers a chance to rethink the configuration, but for now the club is still waiting on the kind of depth that makes that decision easier. [Read more 🡒]
Oilers Face A Costly Question In Possible Top Six Upgrade
Frustration is building in Philadelphia around Travis Konecny, and the unease has put his name squarely back into the trade conversation at a time when teams with top-six needs are always watching closely. The Flyers are reportedly irritated with parts of his game, especially his decision-making and his effect on the power play, which has only added to the sense that change could be coming if the right offer appears.
For Edmonton, the appeal is obvious. Konecny would fit the profile of a meaningful upgrade for a contender looking to deepen its scoring group, but the cost would be steep and the contract situation would make any deal more complicated. Montreal and Utah are also linked to the speculation, and all three clubs would have to decide whether the price in assets is worth chasing a player whose situation in Philadelphia is becoming harder to ignore. [Read more 🡒]