LD Derrick Pouliot (2012, 8th overall, Pittsburgh)

[Rolen]

Sure he can! He just might be wrong.

Then it isn't a guarantee!

 

[kirant]

No, you can't.

Yes he can. Didn't you know everybody on HFboards has a crystal ball?

It's just strange nobody has bothered to look up lottery numbers or something.

 

[#66]

I liken Pouliot to Giordano because he's so active on the ice. He doesn't play as physical as Gio but IMO he is a better passer. DePo just has a pure passing ability that very few players have. Kind of like a Kaberle or Zubov.

Comparing him to Morrow is like comparing apples and oranges. Very different but both are really good. Morrow is a smart passer. He knows what he wants to do with the puck before he gets it. Pouliot just has a sense for passing. Its something you can't teach.

It will be interesting to see how the Pens develope Pouliot. They have to walk the fine line between molding him into a pro and letting him do what made him such a high pick.

 

[S E P H]

i can guarantee pouliot down the road will be a better dman in nhl then morrow. that's based off me watching bunch portland games this season. Kid is purely offensively gifted.

Lol I've watched this Portland club the last three seasons and I can tell you that I prefer Morrow by far. Just because the guy is good offensively doesn't mean he's better than Morrow, when Morrow has solid offensive talent and is 100% better in the defensive end.

 

[AUAIOMRN]

Yes he can. Didn't you know everybody on HFboards has a crystal ball?

It's just strange nobody has bothered to look up lottery numbers or something.

Hfboards accuracy formula:

p: From 0 to 1, the certainty that a poster has in their statement
A: Actual chance that the statement is true

A = sin(πp)/π

 

[Droj]

Hfboards accuracy formula:

p: From 0 to 1, the certainty that a poster has in their statement
A: Actual chance that the statement is true

A = sin(πp)/π

Very nice, pretty accurate description too. Any post can, at most be 50% reliable, and that only occurs when the poster is 50% sure. I like it

 

[Captain Hook]

He's a project. They didn't pick him for what he is. They picked him for what he is and what they think they can develop him into. They also picked him because he fits what they value most and that's PMD's. He was regarded by many as the best passing D-Man in the draft and a player that thrives in transition. Shero and Bylsma love that.

The rest of his game needs work but the Pens believe they can bulk him up a bit more, develop him a bit more, combine that with his natural offensive skills that you can't teach and turn him into something worthy of that pick. Maybe he won't pan out and they'll look like idiots but you can say that about every player that was drafted.

 

[steelcityassault]

Reminds me a lot of Duncan Keith

 

[17Kurri]

I like Pouliot a lot, but it's a toss up between him an Morrow. If I had to choose, I'd choose Morrow because he's a bit more consistent, imo.

Morrow occasionally struggles in the defensive side of the game, but he tends to shrug off a bad play/shift relatively quickly and gets right back into the flow of the game. Pouliot, on the other hand, seems to go from bad to worse when he starts struggling, almost like he suddenly forgets how to play the game in the defensive zone. Not sure why, maybe it's a confidence issue.

 

[WADEugottaBELAKthat]

I wouldn't be too worried if I were Pens fans:

(1) First of all, the nutty demand for defenseman in this years free-agent pool is proof that good defenseman are hard to come by. Basically every NHL team wanted Suter, wanted Weber, and were willing to pay for them. But not every team got them. If you can't sign or trade for quality defenseman, you have to draft them.

(2) Players are just assets. Just because the Pens have the best young D prospect stable in the NHL does not mean that each player must play for the Pens throughout his entire career. GM's can trade for position ... and Shero has been mighty fine at doing that in the recent past when he needs to. Ryan Whitney who? Alex Goligoski who?

(3) Filip Forsberg is no guarantee by any means. He could easily be the next Magnus Paajarvi. Not that MPS isn't any good or anything, but he was another unfathomable Swedish draft-day slider that has, up to this point, shown why he slid. Forsberg had meager numbers in the 2nd tier of Sweden.

 

[billybudd]

Yes, but Bergeron has never hit 40 points much less 50.

?

Bergeron had 46 points in 07 despite missing a handful of games. And several of his 30 something point seasons came in years he spent significant time scratched for one reason or another. Heck, even this year he had 25 or something missing half the games, so he was well on his way to 40, possibly 50.

The problem with Bergeron isn't the production he's shown at the NHL level (which is, frankly, great for someone who comes as cheaply as he does). The problem with Bergeron is he's a huge liability at everything BUT producing points.

About his size, he's 1 inch shorter and 6 pounds lighter than Kris Letang according to their height and weight on their roster profiles.

Pouliot's close to 6'0" and he's 195 lbs. He can easily be 200+ lbs. by the time he's ready for the NHL.

Height and weight on roster profiles aren't accurate. Players have some wiggle room as to what those say. Lindros used to list himself as smaller than he was (presumably so people would be surprised and intimidated by how much larger than life he was). Recchi used to say he was bigger than he actually is, for whatever reason. Think Talbot's roster profile had him 2 inches taller than he really was at one point as well.

Now, I don't know what Pouliot's actual height and weight are (if the combine says 5'11 195, probably that), but I have a hard time believing he has a mere 6-ish pounds less muscle mass than Kris Letang, who is about as strong as a 5'11 hockey player can be.

 

[ottawah]

?

Bergeron had 46 points in 07 despite missing a handful of games. And several of his 30 something point seasons came in years he spent significant time scratched for one reason or another. Heck, even this year he had 25 or something missing half the games, so he was well on his way to 40, possibly 50.

Correct, my mistake. Hockeydb lists each stint with the teams that year as separate (as he played for two teams).

Anyways I'll stand by what I originally said, second pairing d men do not get 50+ points in this league.

 

[bigd]

6'1 200 is under average sized for an NHL dman by an inch and 12 pounds. Depends on your definition of small of course, but below average size, absolutely.

If you listened to The Pipeline Show, Pittsburgh scout Wayne Meier said that they look for smaller and more mobile D-men. They want quickness over size. They want D-men that retrieve the puck quick and make a quick first pass. Get to the puck first and move the puck quick. That's what they key on. If they can find a bigger guy that does that even better but according to him the D-man position is getting smaller from what it use to be.

 

[SprootsMasterFlex]

If you listened to The Pipeline Show, Pittsburgh scout Wayne Meier said that they look for smaller and more mobile D-men. They want quickness over size. They want D-men that retreve the puck quick and make a quick first pass. Get to the puck first and move the puck quick. That's what they key on. If they can find a bigger guy that does that even better but according to him the D-man position is getting smaller from what it use to be.

I disagree with what he says. You cannot have a bunch of smurfs on your blueline when playing teams like Boston, LA or Philly...

 

[ottawah]

If you listened to The Pipeline Show, Pittsburgh scout Wayne Meier said that they look for smaller and more mobile D-men. They want quickness over size. They want D-men that retrieve the puck quick and make a quick first pass. Get to the puck first and move the puck quick. That's what they key on. If they can find a bigger guy that does that even better but according to him the D-man position is getting smaller from what it use to be.

Yes, because obviously they will have no issue handling those big Philly forwards in the playoffs .....

 

[S E P H]

If you listened to The Pipeline Show, Pittsburgh scout Wayne Meier said that they look for smaller and more mobile D-men. They want quickness over size. They want D-men that retrieve the puck quick and make a quick first pass. Get to the puck first and move the puck quick. That's what they key on. If they can find a bigger guy that does that even better but according to him the D-man position is getting smaller from what it use to be.

Sounds like they drafted on need and not BPA.

 

[Beauner]

Sounds like they drafted on need and not BPA.

You think they need defensemen?

 

[KlattNazty]

Ive got my own opinion, but does anybody feel like sharing their's on the differences, similarities, and potential upside of Pouliot and M.Rielly?

 

[S E P H]

You think they need defensemen?

Now they don't.

 

[Tasty Biscuits]

Ive got my own opinion, but does anybody feel like sharing their's on the differences, similarities, and potential upside of Pouliot and M.Rielly?

Renegade Stylings would probably be your guy. He's seen a lot of them since they're both in the WHL.

 

[S E P H]

Ive got my own opinion, but does anybody feel like sharing their's on the differences, similarities, and potential upside of Pouliot and M.Rielly?

I can't comment on Rielly, but Pouliot has great speed, vision, and puckmoving abilities. His strongest strength is he can do all three at full speed. Him, Dumba, and Murray always have great zone to zone rushes, which you will see in the NHL.

For the PP: Has an OK shot, but takes charge with good passing from the point. Also skates around the offensive zone making players open for cross-zone passing for prime scoring chances.

Weakness: Definitely the corners and infront of the net in the defensive zone. Has gotten MUCH smarter on dealing with getting the puck out faster since last season. But when he gets pinned in by bigger opponents, he's pretty much done for and will 9 out of 10 times will turn it over.

Overall he is a PMD with great vision and passing and will always be hampered by stronger forwards.

 

[R S]

Ive got my own opinion, but does anybody feel like sharing their's on the differences, similarities, and potential upside of Pouliot and M.Rielly?

Renegade Stylings would probably be your guy. He's seen a lot of them since they're both in the WHL.

He asked me about a dozen questions about the two the other day on Twitter, comparing them and naming their pros and cons. They're somewhat similar but have different sets of positives and negatives.

Rielly is a better skater and is much more well rounded.

Pouliot is a bit more fiesty and is a better passer of the puck.

 

[Hardyvan123]

Well he's still a few years away from the NHL. Definitely raw in comparison to some of the more polished Pens D prospects in the development camp this week, but that's to be expected.

Will be interesting to see if he's paired with Seth Jones this upcoming season.

I doubt they play together all that often, they are more likely paired with younger Dmen, even D first types and then have more room to roam.

They might be paired when the Hawks are down late and on the PP on occasion but more often than not they will be split up IMO.

 

[S E P H]

IMO

Morrow - Jones
Wotherspoon - Pouliot
Hanson - Rutkowski

Amazing group, but there is a small chance that Morrow could make the Penguins from training camp.

 

[Luigi Lemieux]

Still think the Pens should have taken Forsberg at 8

They probably wish they took Forsberg too now considering that Maatta dropped to them at 22

Nah, i don't think so. Pittsburgh has become very good at developing puck moving dmen, this is their strength (Whitney, Goligoski, Letang, soon to be Depres). On the other hand, they are terrible at developing forwards (sans slam dunks like Crosby/Malkin/Staal). If they concentrate on developing dmen, this only works in their favor as they will be accumulating assets at a higher rate. And then if there's a glut they can flip them for forwards, like how they turned Whitney into Kunitz and Goligoski into Neal.