diff --git a/vertical-pod-autoscaler/pkg/updater/eviction/pods_eviction_restriction.go b/vertical-pod-autoscaler/pkg/updater/eviction/pods_eviction_restriction.go
index e79f79e54c5..61607862b98 100644
--- a/vertical-pod-autoscaler/pkg/updater/eviction/pods_eviction_restriction.go
+++ b/vertical-pod-autoscaler/pkg/updater/eviction/pods_eviction_restriction.go
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ import (
 	"context"
 	"fmt"
 	"time"
+	"strings"
 
 	appsv1 "k8s.io/api/apps/v1"
 	apiv1 "k8s.io/api/core/v1"