I can definitely see some merit behind this idea on a higher level, conceptual basis.
I think one of the weaker points of Podkolzin's game, is that initial stop/start quickness. Which playing on the wing obviously emphasizes, and asks a lot of. Whereas playing at Center, i could see there being a little bit more rhythm and flow to the game for someone like Podz. That could be really beneficial for him, and he seems to have most of the other requisite traits to play in the middle (defensive conscience, physical strength, etc.). Although as a counterpoint, some of Podkolzin's best work seems to come in the corners, and around the net front. As a center, he'd likely see a bit less of those situations and be asked to play relatively more "in space". Not sure how that would all shake out on balance.
But regardless...on a current moment, pragmatic basis...now really doesn't seem like the time to be goofing around with that, experimenting. He's currently riding a clear low point confidence-wise. That's probably not the time to be heaping a whole bunch more extra responsibility and distractions on his plate.
I think it's putting 2-and-2 together, when they don't necessarily go together at the moment. It'd be really nice to have a quality 3rd Center with a bit of offensive upside to slot in there. We have the wingers for it...and Dries tries hard, but just isn't good enough. And it's also really frustrating to see a young player scratched and not really having a chance to develop on the ice, in game situations. It'd be an awesome solution if it were practical. But in the real world, those two facts don't necessarily add up to the "simple" solution proposed here.
