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Derrick Pouliot: Penguins Injuries Spark Call-Up

By Ryan Ritchie

Apr 1, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Derrick Pouliot (51) skates up ice against the Philadelphia Flyers during the first period at the CONSOL Energy Center. The Flyers won 4-1. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 1, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Derrick Pouliot (51) skates up ice against the Philadelphia Flyers during the first period at the CONSOL Energy Center. The Flyers won 4-1. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /
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Derrick Pouliot Joins Pittsburgh after Call-Up to Big Club

Derrick Pouliot may potentially join Pittsburgh on Monday for a game against St.Louis, sparking his second stint with the big club (how long it lasts, who knows?). In 2014-15, he played 34 games, scoring two goals, adding five assists from the back-end with the Penguins. NHL.com reported that he did not take the morning skate.

Arguably the most gifted offensive defender without a full-time NHL job, Derrick Pouliot gets an opportunity to show Pittsburgh he deserves to stay for good this time around.

Heading into 2015-16, the Penguins were thin on the blueline, expected to heavily depend on their top four, while hoping for emerging young defenders. A few years older, and more well-rounded Brian Dumoulin stole the roster spot fans expected Pouliot to snag.

For the Pittsburgh Penguins to have sent Derrick Pouliot down to Wilkes-Barrie to begin the year, with the team having as many question marks as it did, spoke volumes. He’d already proven to be a contributor from the back-end, even during his 34-game stint in 2014-15. The move said, “we don’t trust you in the defensive zone at the NHL level”.

Young defenders are susceptible to the same mistakes – missed assignments, bad pinches, bad passes leading to costly turnovers, running around in the defensive zone, inability to move bigger bodies in front of the net (i.e. Milan Lucic), just to name a few. Judging solely on his first audition, Derrick Pouliot’s defensive lapses tend to lead to costly turnovers/goals against. 

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Rumblings through social media, fan sites, and GM Jim Rutherford himself are that Derrick Pouliot continues taking positive steps in his development. We already know what type of player he is offensively, so it’ll be interesting to see what (if any) progression he’s made away from the puck.

In 34 NHL games in 2014-15, Derrick Pouliot had a -11 rating. He added 24 points in 31 games with Wilkes-Barre, with a +2 rating. Already in 37 games in 2015-16, he’s produced 23 points in 37 games with a +16 rating. The numbers echo the same sentiments being spoken by those fans and experts watching him on a regular basis.

Next: Ducks-Penguins: Hagelin for Perron and Clendening

Pittsburgh is 21-16-7 with 49 points in 44 games in 2015-16. They sit one point behind Montreal, and two behind Boston for the last two wild-card spots. After a sloppy first half, the Penguins are hoping to secure a playoff position down the stretch. Getting help on the blueline is the first step. If Derrick Pouliot is unable to secure a roster spot and provide a quality upgrade on current roster defenders, GM Jim Rutherford will be forced to explore the trade market to help patch up what’s arguably been one of the worst defensive groups in the NHL this season.

Just don’t be surprised if Derrick Pouliot is an impact player on the scoresheet in the back half of 2015-16.

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