The Edmonton Oilers’ play have been up and down during their recent stretch of games, but one constant has been the impactful play of forward Vasily Podkolzin. When centerman Leon Draisaitl went on a leave of absence to tend to a family matter in Germany, Podkolzin was given an opportunity to move up the lineup and play alongside Connor McDavid.

In those three games, the physical forward didn’t disappoint. He produced three points (two goals, one assist), dropped the gloves after his captain got hit, and, when Draisaitl returned against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Podkolzin moved back alongside him, still playing steady, making some big plays on the penalty kill.

With that in mind, we caught up with Podkolzin’s offseason skills coach, Ned Lukacevic, to get his thoughts on how a player would prepare to transition from playing with Draisaitl to McDavid, Podkolzin sticking up for his captain, and........

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