Pouliot was Badly mis-judged by Evaluators

Scouts often miss and the Penguins obsession back in the Ray Shero era of drafting puck moving defenseman saw Pittsburgh not only take Derrick Pouliot 8th overall in the 2012 draft, but the team mis-calculated so bad on Pouliot, the organization had him rated No. 4 on their board.

“That was a funky draft coming in,” a 20+ year scout tells TIOPS. “Prospects were [rated] all over the map……Derrick sure looked like a safe pick [at the time] because you can coach a player up to become a better defensive player, but you can’t teach high-level puck skills. He had it”

The stunner to many in the Penguins organization regarding Pouliot is that the offensive prowess he possessed in juniors and elite puck moving ability that wowed the Penguins amateur scouts never materialized once he turned pro.

At worst the Penguins four to five years ago believed Pouliot would be an elite level power play specialist as a third pairing defenseman.

Pouliot’s failure to develop into an NHL defenseman is only on him. The Penguins only mistake was waiting too long to move him when it’s been clear for well over a year it wasn’t going to work out here and he’s not an NHL caliber d-man. His value just kept sinking and sinking over the last year and a half.

A new opportunity could benefit Pouliot but he has more tough sledding as his lack of role in Pittsburgh was more about talent than his attitude.

What the rest of the league thinks about Pouliot is quite clear as the only official trade offer the Penguins had on the table was the one from Vancouver.

Latest on Riley Sheahan

So what happened to that reported Riley Sheahan – Derrick Pouliot trade from a few weeks ago?

 

It never really existed, a team [hide] source tells TIOPS.

Pittsburgh’s interest in Sheahan has also been overblown. Yes, Pittsburgh had and has an opportunity to acquire Sheahan if they want, but he’s not at the top of their wishlist, nor someone who they feel is the solution as the third line center.

They haven’t crossed him off as a depth option as he’s available for a low return, but the sense of the situation is the push from those below Jim Rutherford has been to let things play out for a bit with what the Penguins have and keep the cap space open for a more impactful addition.

Sheahan has a $2.075 million cap hit.

If Pittsburgh decided to circle back around on Sheahan, the Red Wings have tracked Penguins winger To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

 Latest Scuttlebutt/Scout Buzz

— Eastern Conference Scout on the Penguins bottom-6: “They’re really top heavy when you watch them. Obviously there’s Crosby and Malkin who can hide so much. There’s ‘great’ depth on the wing and I love the D [group] and Murray’s a rock for them”

“The lack of skill from the third and fourth line centers is striking,” the scout added. “I don’t see either guy [Greg McKegg – Carter Rowney] being the answer for them.”

— Penguins coaches really like McKegg but the more Penguins management has watched McKegg this preseason, they believe his best role on the team To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

— One reason for the Penguins experimenting with an Ian Cole – Matt Hunwick pairing early in the season will be to see if the pairing can take some heavy defensive minutes against the oppositions second best line to open up Justin Schultz offensively even more with weaker defensive assignments.

NHL News: Sabres get Eichel Deal Done

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— First Year GM Jason Botterill stepped up in avoiding a distraction in locking up Jack Eichel to an 8 year, $80 million contract.

Overpayment for Eichel?

Absolutely, he’s not on the level of Draisaitl nor Johansen who got lesser deals this summer, but Buffalo had to do this deal.

EDM Connor McDavid | 8 Years – $100 million
BUF Jack Eichel | 8 Years – $80 million
Leon Draisaitl | 8 Years – $68 million
Ryan Johansen | 8 Years – $64 million

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