Player Discussion Matthew Poitras II

[Alicat]

He should start the year in Providence. Will allow him to get back into game shape and shake the rust off. It did wonders for Pasta and others. Give it a few weeks there and he’ll be back in Boston.

I don’t disagree with your overall point, but it was a somewhat unusual situation in that they couldn’t send him to the A. It was either NHL or back to junior. Ordinarily he probably would have been in Providence for more games. And he may still benefit from playing down there for a bit. Training camp will tell the tale.

Precisely why that damn rule needs to be fixed. He’s too good for juniors but not quite ready for full time nhl. IMO, this rule is a hindrance to players like Poitras.

 

[CharasLazyWrister]

He should start the year in Providence. Will allow him to get back into game shape and shake the rust off. It did wonders for Pasta and others. Give it a few weeks there and he’ll be back in Boston.


Precisely why that damn rule needs to be fixed. He’s too good for juniors but not quite ready for full time nhl. IMO, this rule is a hindrance to players like Poitras.

I understand the sentiment behind the rule (I think). You don’t want to persuade a kid to leave juniors for the NHL only to then put him in the AHL when he would have rather stayed on his junior squad.

Barring anything where a player could turn professional but also still be allowed back on his junior team beyond the 9 game “tryout”, I don’t see why it can’t be up to player/agent and NHL team to have a discussion individually. If both sides are honest in their expectations up front about time in the A, why does there need to be a strict rule against being sent down?

 

[Alicat]

I understand the sentiment behind the rule (I think). You don’t want to persuade a kid to leave juniors for the NHL only to then put him in the AHL when he would have rather stayed on his junior squad.

Barring anything where a player could turn professional but also still be allowed back on his junior team beyond the 9 game “tryout”, I don’t see why it can’t be up to player/agent and NHL team to have a discussion individually. If both sides are honest in their expectations up front about time in the A, why does there need to be a strict rule against being sent down?

I understand the rule and generally agree that you don’t want kids to jump ship and then get caught in a less than ideal situation. I can get behind revising the number of games from 9 to say 15-20 and then allowing for negotiations pending on the outcome of the trial period. Bottom line is that it needs some revision to align with the current state of the game.

 

[PB37]

15 goals / 30 assists is my prediction for Poitras this year if he makes the team. Frederic -- Poitras -- Geekie should be a solid 3rd line that can bring a little of everything.

 

[Fenian24]

Poitras will start as number 3 center but by the new year i see him centering Marchand on the second line. I rarely get excited about young players but he seems like the real deal to me.

 

[Dr Hook]

Poitras will start as number 3 center but by the new year i see him centering Marchand on the second line. I rarely get excited about young players but he seems like the real deal to me.

Agreed- I love what we saw from him last year before the injury.

 

[Hookslide]

Poitras will start as number 3 center but by the new year i see him centering Marchand on the second line. I rarely get excited about young players but he seems like the real deal to me.

I would bet that Poitras, is in Providence before that happens.

 

[Fenian24]

I would bet that Poitras, is in Providence before that happens.

That's fine. I think Morgan Geekie is a better second line option than Lysell or Merkulov. We will find out in a few weeks.

 

[Bmessy]

He has the 4th best offensive hockey sense out of all their forwards. (Pastrnak, Marchand, and assuming Lindholm however haven't watched him, are the others) He should be playing top 6 and PP2 at min. Put him in a position to succeed especially on a team that needs scoring help.

I predict by December, the hockey world will be groaning "where do they find these guys" again

Would love to see Lysell steal that 2RW spot though.

 

[CellyHard]

He has the 4th best offensive hockey sense out of all their forwards. (Pastrnak, Marchand, and assuming Lindholm however haven't watched him, are the others) He should be playing top 6 and PP2 at min. Put him in a position to succeed especially on a team that needs scoring help.

I predict by December, the hockey world will be groaning "where do they find these guys" again

Would love to see Lysell steal that 2RW spot though.

This is exactly it. For some odd reason, a lot of fans think the forward group is better than they are, or that they can afford to let Poitras play in the minors.

The forwards lack a serious element of skill in their top nine. Lindholm addresses a portion of it but it's really not enough especially with the loss of Debrusk and Heinen.

Poitras was 2nd on the team in 5v5 CORSI among regular forwards after Pastrnak and ahead of Marchand. It would just be dumb to keep a player like him in the minors.

Lysell isn't too far behind either. He obviously has much more to prove but if they can give Steen 30 something games last year with his 1 goal then they can give their 1st round pick a chance