Recalled/Assigned: Guentzel, Pouliot re-assigned to WBSPenguins

[Honour Over Glory]

The problem is they already sent Pouliot down for conditioning to get some games. Then they recalled him and sat him in the press box. I'm sure he will get games eventually, but why not now?

Maatta, Dumo, Daley could all use a rest here and there.

I would give Maatta a few games of rest just to work out to be honest and play Pouliot in those games, like a 3-4 game trial in Maatta's spot while Olli gets some rest and is able to work on some things real quick.

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

I'm not even mad about Kunitz because, well...

But Kunitz wasn't even back before Guenztel was benched. Wilson got his spot and it's like Craig Adams level ****, but at least that cat could PK a little, block shots with his face, work the Mr Coffee, etc.

He doesn't PK like Kuhn or do much of anything... he's just... there... but not really.

He's as vanilla as a player comes and the one thing he did well in the A, he's not doing. One goal in his last 17...

I guess playing under Sullivan in the A gives some guys more leeway than they deserve.

 

[hagelin1381]

I mean I guess I understand them sending down Pouliot due to the logjam at D (I think he can play at the NHL level), but you can't tell me Guentzel wouldn't at least be the second best left wing on the Penguins right now.

 

[Fordy]

we don't need good players. we have kunitz

 

[Shady Machine]

I'm probably wrong on this, but I wonder if choosing Wilson over Guentzel now has something to do with giving Wilson that 1 way contract. While he can be sent down, they have to pay him 600k+ in the AHL and maybe they'd rather give him a longer leash before playing Guentzel over him.

My hope is that come late in the season and playoff time, Guentz will be back.

 

[AjaxTelamon]

I would be pretty pissed if I were Pouliot. Like I said above, I understand the logic with him not being a regular, but how the hell is he going to prove he deserves to be a regular if he never gets in a game?

As frustrating as it might be for us and him, the best possible outcome of this season is a mixed bag and more WBS experience, exactly what's happening. Makes extending him easier for us, less chance he's taken in the expansion draft, etc. Next year will be his year, if he's still with us.

One of the worst outcomes might actually be if Cole is taken. One would sort of assume LV would take DP or Schultz, in which case Cole slides to the other side and stabilizes the 3rd pair. But if Cole is taken, then we're left with two guys who probably should not be paired in Schultz and DP.

 

[hooverdam]

You can at least argue that Guentzel has something to gain from playing in the A, in terms of making that final pro hockey leap. It's a bad argument but it's there.

Pouliot gains nothing. This trashes what tiny little flare of confidence and hope he still had and goes a long way towards confirming another first round bust of their making.

Whatever. At least I get to watch them play regularly now.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

Of course they send Guentzel down. It's not like he's scored more goals in 5 games than a lot of the wingers currently on the roster have scored in 26.

And I don't even know what's going on with Pouliot. At this point, is there any benefit at all to him being in the AHL? Okay, playing time. But he's not going to prove whether he can play well defensively at the NHL level by playing against AHL competition.

 

[Shady Machine]

As frustrating as it might be for us and him, the best possible outcome of this season is a mixed bag and more WBS experience, exactly what's happening. Makes extending him easier for us, less chance he's taken in the expansion draft, etc. Next year will be his year, if he's still with us.

One of the worst outcomes might actually be if Cole is taken. One would sort of assume LV would take DP or Schultz, in which case Cole slides to the other side and stabilizes the 3rd pair. But if Cole is taken, then we're left with two guys who probably should not be paired in Schultz and DP.

I tend to agree. I'd actually be surprised if Cole were taken. He's a solid player, to be sure, but I'd expect there to be a lot of solid 4-6 defenders. There will likely be less Schultz types. Guys with high end offensive potential.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

I tend to agree. I'd actually be surprised if Cole were taken. He's a solid player, to be sure, but I'd expect there to be a lot of solid 4-6 defenders. There will likely be less Schultz types. Guys with high end offensive potential.

Craig Button's mock expansion draft had Vegas taking Luca Sbisa. If Vegas has the choice between Cole and Sbisa to fill out their "defensive defenseman" quotient, they'd be nuts to pass on Cole.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

I'm kinda with HoG on this one re: Pouliot. I'm not at all a believer in his ability to live up to even half of what Ray Shero must have seen in him. But who is to really say if he never gets a legit shot at a regular spot in the lineup?

Guentzel... I couldn't be less surprised about. This is still the Penguins. Kunitz is still on the team. Even with as high a ceiling as the guy has shown... he's a relative "unknown" to the staff and a young, talented forward. Those kinds of guys will never get a real shot on this team. Disco, Sullivan, MJ... doesn't seem to matter. Maybe four or five years from now, at the end of Kunitz's extension.

 

[ncm7772]

With everything the team/HCMS/GMJR did last year that was so NOT HCDB/GMRS-esque, the decisions that have been made at times this year leaves me incredibly puzzled.

 

[AjaxTelamon]

I tend to agree. I'd actually be surprised if Cole were taken. He's a solid player, to be sure, but I'd expect there to be a lot of solid 4-6 defenders. There will likely be less Schultz types. Guys with high end offensive potential.

I tend to agree, but as Sidney mentions, Cole has been very solid for us in that role. All depends on the mix they want.

Cole is basically the modern NHL's version of Scuderi. Sufficiently better mobility, puck moving skill and shot to not look like, well, Scuds.

 

[billybudd]

You can at least argue that Guentzel has something to gain from playing in the A, in terms of making that final pro hockey leap. It's a bad argument but it's there.

Pouliot gains nothing. This trashes what tiny little flare of confidence and hope he still had and goes a long way towards confirming another first round bust of their making.

Pouliot's only got about 70 games worth of work in the AHL in his career. That's really not a whole lot of development. Certainly not so much that he's got nothing to gain, nor was he some sort of dominant, "obviously doesn't belong" level hockey player in the A. Goligoski had 100 games and Dumoulin close to 200 and both were better players at that level than Pouliot has been.

If anything, the case can be made that he should have been cut in training camp, not that it's unfair to send him down now.


Far as Guentzel, I have no Earthly idea why he would be getting sent down instead of Wilson. Can't explain it.

If Wilson killed penalties or if he was scoring more often than he is that would be one thing, but that's not the case. And since Wilson's problem (insofar as just being a non-disruptive passenger qualifies as a problem) looks mostly strength-related to me, I don't see that there would be much improvement just waiting things out.

Only thing I can think is that the Penguins feel more comfortable scratching Wilson if they have to than they do Guentzel. But then, that begs the question of why the Hell Pouliot didn't go down last March and stay there.

 

[Le Magnifique 66]

Not happy but at the same time I'd rather him be playing.
Sucks for him cause everyone played like **** against the Islanders and he didn't really deserve the benching and demotion! I'm sure he will be back

 

[Jacob]

They won't be down long. The team is unusually healthy right now.

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

Next time Guentzel should do more in his time up here.

We demand a P/G pace of any rookie to dethrone our underperforming vets.

 

[Malkinstheman]

Didnt JR say the next time Pooh gets called up he will stay up for good?

 

[66-30-33]

I really don't get why pretzel was demoted because of an overrated overpaid bum who kills a line and has 2 goals all season. Not surprised though, looks like Fleury was not actually getting showcased but we are just THIS DUMB.

 

[Shrimper]

 

[deakka]

Sullivan wasnt joking the other day when he said Pouliot will get to play some games soon....

 

[clefty]

I guess I'm one of the few that doesn't see this as a huge deal. Especially with Pouliot - who on earth is going to sit for him in the foreseeable future?

And Guentzel will be back. Relax.

 

[Crosbyfan]

I'm hoping that's what it is for Pouliot. Im probably in the complete opposite in our opinions on him. If it's for a couple weeks, ok but he needs consistent games at the big club.

With Guentzel I'd probably rather him be in WBS than 4th line minutes here. I know those aren't the only options but realistically that's where he'd be.

I would think that in the last 3 games he sat out it would have been worth a try at least once on fourth line. With Cullen he would still be a scoring threat.

Saying he needs to work on his consistency...then having him sit 3 games...then sending him down saying he should be playing more...makes little sense

 

[hooverdam]

Pouliot's only got about 70 games worth of work in the AHL in his career. That's really not a whole lot of development. Certainly not so much that he's got nothing to gain, nor was he some sort of dominant, "obviously doesn't belong" level hockey player in the A. Goligoski had 100 games and Dumoulin close to 200 and both were better players at that level than Pouliot has been.

If anything, the case can be made that he should have been cut in training camp, not that it's unfair to send him down now.

How much Pouliot did you watch in WBS? Because there was a point last year where it was pretty clear he didn't belong and he was just spinning his wheels.

Dumoulin was ready long before the Penguins were forced to play him in the NHL because of waivers. People always hold him up as this great example of development done right when in reality he was buried behind worse NHL veterans and only got a chance to hold a steady spot because of the cap and waiver eligibility. Despres got the same idiotic treatment.

Believe me, I love getting to see these guys play in person for cheap and they make WBS games fun, but at the same time I don't believe letting them rot is the best way to develop them. Especially when you yo-yo a player up and down like what's happened to Pouliot.

On the one hand, I see Pouliot as a really good partner for Maatta and a cheap Daley replacement come next season. On the other hand, I want them to trade him because he should be an NHL defenseman already and I don't trust that he'll ever get an actual chance with this coach and this team. The longer they dick him around, the more the situation devolves.

 

[Crosbyfan]

We demand a P/G pace of any rookie to dethrone our underperforming vets.

If the young whipper snappers can't play better than the vets did in the past they don't deserve squat.

If you want to oust a former Olympian...you better play like an Olympian!