DesertedPenguin
Registered User
- Mar 11, 2007
- 6,765
- 7,550
The Ponomarev waiver argument is a valid point. I still believe Poulin has been kept in WBS for the most part because he's considered a leader and stabilizing force for a pretty young team. They're not going to learn anything about him in eight games at the NHL level that they don't already know, whereas giving McGroarty and Koivunen a little bit of a run could be more beneficial.This team has given basically zero indication that they view Poulin as a part of their future. I'm not seeing anything that makes me think he's going to be "in the mix" next year.
I don't think much of Ponomarev either at this point, but he was a piece that Dubas brought in and becomes waiver eligible next year. I think there is almost no chance they waive him to give Poulin a spot, when Poulin wasn't a Dubas acquisition and the current team has shown basically nothing that suggests they view him as a NHL option.
The Poulin stuff seems to be more people here trying to speak it into existence than the team suggesting it may happen.
So while I get what you're saying, I do think they're going to give Poulin a long look next year - he's under contract - and give him a chance to seize a spot. If not ahead of Ponomarev, I would at least put him ahead of Hallander, who we have no idea if he's truly coming over, what his contract would look like (he's an unsigned RFA) or what the organization has offered to him in terms of opportunity.