Will Samuel Poulin Crack the Lineup for the Pittsburgh Penguins?
The NHL is not far away from returning. There are reports out there that the Stanley Cup Playoffs will begin on Thursday July 30th. With that being the case, 28 skaters will be allowed on the roster for that time and also an unlimited amount of goalies as well. Well, 30 skaters will be invited to training camp when it begins on July 10th, including Samuel Poulin nonetheless.
Poulin was the 21st overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft by General Manager Jim Rutherford. He is highly regarded throughout the organization and he could make an impact in the immediate future. Samuel Poulin is already under an entry-level deal.
He is only 19 years old but played in 46 games this past season with the Sherbrooke Phoenix in the QMJHL, scoring 32 goals, with 45 assists, and a plus/minus of 45 nonetheless. The postseason was cancelled this season due to the coronavirus. He has improved each season at that level and I am wondering if the Pittsburgh Penguins will have him play next season with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in the AHL.
But before that can happen, let’s see if he will actually make an impact with Pittsburgh. The 12 forwards that I would expect to crack the lineup before him is: Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Jake Guentzel, Jared McCann, Bryan Rust, Patric Hornqvist, Brandon Tanev, Patrick Marleau, Conor Sheary, Teddy Bleuger, Jason Zucker, and Zach Aston-Reese.
Dominik Simon and Nick Bjugstad are both out due to injury. The only two or three of those players on the roster will be: Anthony Angello, Sam Lafferty, and Evan Rodrigues. It is possible that he could beat those guys out on the roster, but not some of the current starters. He may impress during training camp, but I am not sure if Mike Sullivan and his coaching staff are willing to put a rookie out there yet in big time games when the Pittsburgh Penguins are looking to win their third title in five seasons.
