Rookie Mid-Terms: What Vasili Podkolzin can do to take advantage of his opportunity
It's always hard to separate players from their environment. Are they not scoring because they aren't making the right plays or because they are not given the right opportunities?
For many players with the Vancouver Canucks, like Vasili Podkolzin, the answer is probably a bit of both.
The Russian winger who was selected 10th overall in 2019 has only scored 10 points in 39 games so far in his first season in the NHL, a production that doesn't match his talent.
A lot of other young players have gone through stretches and or even seasons like this, where the points simply don't come. With the case of Podkolzin, his time in the KHL has accustomed him to the professional environment, to battling for a spot in the lineup and to making the most of reduced roles.
Although those things aren't neces