Mar 26, 2015; Raleigh, NC, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins defensemen
Derrick Pouliot(51) watches the puck against the Carolina Hurricanes at PNC Arena. The Hurricanes defeated the Penguins 5-2. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports
Derrick Pouliot
Pouliot has shown glimpses of greatness through his short career in the NHL so far. However, he has also shown that he’s a defensive liability more often than not and may lack the physical aspects needed to compete at this level.
The coaching staff has asked Pouliot to play a more aggressive game. I believe the word used is ‘snarl’. Well, he attempted that in this summer’s rookie tournament and ended up in the box and ineffective in that regard. Part of that is on the coaching staff, as playing that style simply doesn’t fit Pouliot’s strengths. But, I can see their concern.
Pullout doesn’t need to be a fighter or play with an edge in order to agitate opponents. He needs to use his skill to frustrate them while learning to play a more aggressive game in his own end, mostly during 50/50 and net-front battles. He loses too many of these situations and they lead to scoring chances against far too often. We just saw a recent example of this in the preseason game against the Carolina Hurricanes when Pouliot found himself physically dominated on his blue line and got caught chasing a breakaway because of it.
With all of that being said, Pouliot is still a top defensive prospect. His skill speaks for itself and if he develops more strength and truly learns from watching the way Kris Letang plays the game (as Mike Johnston indicated he wanted to see) he’ll be a very good defenseman in this league. The Pens protected Pouliot when Toronto attempted to pry him away in the Phil Kessel deal. If things continue down the same path for him with this organization, it may be time to lift that protection and see what he can fetch in the market.
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