The Pittsburgh Penguins recently gave up another third period lead and lost 4-3 in a shootout to the Anaheim Ducks. And one Penguins player that was scratched in the recent contest, Sam Poulin, was called up and then sent right back not long after the loss to the Ducks. The news here is not that Poulin was sent back.
The news is the fact that sending Poulin back down to the AHL could set up another roster move for the Penguins that could turn some heads. Forward Rickard Rakell could be set to return to the Penguins lineup after being out quite a while with a fractured hand.
Getting someone of Rakell's caliber back into this Penguins lineup that is now missing centers Evgeni Malkin and Blake Lizotte could provide a huge boost for head coach Dan Muse and staff. The Penguins have been missing Rakell in the lineup and the powerplay as of late.
The Penguins know that whenever Rakell is in the lineup, he can provide some much-needed goal scoring. So much so that Penguins fans should remember that Rakell scored 35 goals last season and that kind of offense is being missed in the current Penguins lineup.
It is not confirmed that sending Poulin back to Wilkes-Barre is the move that will bring Rakell off of IR, but it certainly seems that way. The Penguins need their top line winger back in a bad way.