Prospect Info: Prospect Rating #4 (2023 Version) [edit: vote for Poulin or Puustinen to avoid a runoff poll]

[TySmith4Norris]

How has Poulin proven more than a guy like Puustinen who has already established himself as a legit good top 6 scoring winger in both SM-liiga and the AHL?

The only thing Poulin has over him is where they were drafted. Puustinen has performed better in every other facet you could want.

Puustinen looked like a nonfactor in the big leagues

Poulin has rounded out his game and has enough size to still be a factor in a 3rd/4th line role

 

[SomeDude]

Puustinen looked like a nonfactor in the big leagues

Poulin has rounded out his game and has enough size to still be a factor in a 3rd/4th line role

Puustinen has played exactly 1 NHL game and got a point in it.

 

[Randy Butternubs]

So we could avoid #5 voting just making whom ever loses takes the 5 position.

Nope, disagree. We don't know if all the people who voted for Puustinen (currently winning) would vote for Poulin or Murashov or someone else.

Though if it's a blowout I can close the poll early.

 

[Lust for Life]

Went for Puustinen just because I think he's further ahead at this point (no wonder considering Poulin missed a year), but I don't think Puustinen will amount to anything more than a good point producer in Europe.

Poulin could be serviceable on the NHL level, but he could also never play another game above AHL level.

 

[TySmith4Norris]

Puustinen has played exactly 1 NHL game and got a point in it.

Yes, I watched the game

Nonfactor

 

[Randy Butternubs]

Puustinen's PDO is almost double that of Poulin's. That alone makes him the better prospect.

 

[SomeDude]

Yes, I watched the game

Nonfactor

Found Mike Sullivan’s burner.

 

[TySmith4Norris]

Found Mike Sullivan’s burner.

Come on, I like Poulin too much to be Sullivan

 

[Peat]

Tbh, gotta figure that if Sullivan didn't like Poulin or Puustinen, the Pens would have probably tried to shove them off on Montreal instead of Legare to make that 2nd a 3rd.

 

[SomeDude]

Tbh, gotta figure that if Sullivan didn't like Poulin or Puustinen, the Pens would have probably tried to shove them off on Montreal instead of Legare to make that 2nd a 3rd.

They’re both our most ready forward prospects and we have like 32 cents in cap space when Jake comes back so regardless of Sullivan’s feelings I think the organization understands the need for entry level cap hits to fill in as needed.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

Tbh, gotta figure that if Sullivan didn't like Poulin or Puustinen, the Pens would have probably tried to shove them off on Montreal instead of Legare to make that 2nd a 3rd.

Well yeah but Legare is obviously bad whereas Poulin/Puus are just LIKELY bad, you see.

Plus Legare is French and you know how they are with that. They were probably all like "HAW HAW... Dees iz your best player besides Le Grande Cheveux, oui? You are very the foolish for trading but we accept!" then they doff a beret and la gigue out of the room.

 

[Peat]

Well yeah but Legare is obviously bad whereas Poulin/Puus are just LIKELY bad, you see.

Plus Legare is French and you know how they are with that. They were probably all like "HAW HAW... Dees iz your best player oui? You are very the foolish for trading but we accept!" then they doff a beret and la gigue out of the room.

Right, which makes Poulin/Puustinen more valuable. If the guys who've been around a hot moment are telling Dubas "look, these guys, they may have some points and pedigree, but we don't see it, they've got some bad habits", if Sully's going "I don't see a scenario where I'd want to give them game time"... likelihood is Dubas would go "okey dokey, I'll offer them". I'm sure he'd prefer keeping the 2nd if he could use a different prospect nobody liked instead.

And of course, Poulin is a French Canadian hero too.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

Right, which makes Poulin/Puustinen more valuable. If the guys who've been around a hot moment are telling Dubas "look, these guys, they may have some points and pedigree, but we don't see it, they've got some bad habits", if Sully's going "I don't see a scenario where I'd want to give them game time"... likelihood is Dubas would go "okey dokey, I'll offer them". I'm sure he'd prefer keeping the 2nd if he could use a different prospect nobody liked instead.

And of course, Poulin is a French Canadian hero too.

It means more or less nothing but I have noticed that Sullivan and Hextall/Dubas have name dropped Poulin a lot the last couple years. Dubas just a couple days ago in his press conference, actually. So you gotta figure there is some favor, there.

Could just be that he's a first rounder, though.

 

[SEALBound]

Looks like Puustinen pulled away with it.

Suggestion: It was Poulin and Puustinen by a significant margin. I suggest calling Puustinen #4 and Poulin #5 and moving on to the Prospect #6 poll.

 

[KareemTrustfund]

Let It be known for the future historians that will comb through these polls that I was , against my will, forcibly made to change my vote from a sure fire NHL all timer in Murashov to one of two poos.

 

[Freeptop]

The Penguins have always done oddly well with their 2nd rounders for the most part.

Especially when you look at them next to their utterly shit first round selections in the same timeframe.

EDIT: Third rounders yielded some absolute gold, too. Letang, Guentzel, Rust, etc.

The funny thing is that for a very long time, the Pens success rate in the second round was just completely, utterly horrible.
From 1995 through 2010 the only second round pick of the Pens to play more than 100 games in the NHL was Alex Goligoski (the later of their two 2nd round picks in 2004, no less).
The record prior to 1995 wasn't really all that much better

Suddenly in 2011 we start seeing the second round start to produce NHL players, albeit only when the Pens hadn't traded that pick away.

I mean, I swear I remember making a joke at some point in the past that I'd rather trade a second round pick than a third, because the Pens had so much more luck in the third round than the second! (I no longer feel this way)

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

Let It be known for the future historians that will comb through these polls that I was , against my will, forcibly made to change my vote from a sure fire NHL all timer in Murashov to one of two poos.

Hear, hear.

Life under the iron gauntlet of Randy Butternubs is cruel.

 

[Rakell67]

I voted Poulin but was going to vote Puustinen at 5.

 

[CheckingLineCenter]

That's Daniel "Six NHL Teams By 26" Sprong's music.

Tbh I like your logic re Broz. I have more faith in Poulin's ability to hack NHL tempo than you, but Broz has tools and doesn't have the glaring holes that need improving that Puustinen and Poulin too. Of course, it would be easier to vote for him if he hadn't taken a season and a half to figure out the NCAA.



That... words fail me. Pretty much everyone who plays his style gets injured, bar some freaky guys with titanium bones and steel sinews. But his style is about the most valuable going. Dual creators who can play in traffic tilt the ice.

I never paid a whole ton of attention to this year's draft. Was still very bleh on the NHL and didn't really expect us to keep the pick. So I don't really know who I liked from this draft. But I just kind of fell in love with Benson from seeing a few clips and reading a few profiles, then doing some digging. Some of his clips are just the closest thing I've seen to Sid in a prospect.

As for safest... I've been prodding at this, because of the way Poulin was seen as safest when as Pixies points out, some were calling him risky for obvious reasons.

I think once you pass a certain physical and technical threshold - which most prospects aren't entirely over on all fronts - the safest traits are intensity and hockey IQ. Coaches are always going to love a guy who they can trust to bring it. Look at Josh Archibald. Probably the least talented speedster to pass through here in Sully's tenure. One of the smallest too. But he played hard, and based on contract is booked to play in the NHL until 32. More successful than the classic safe big body with okay hands that is Tom Kuhnhackl.

Benson is on Wheeler's list for top 5 most competitive and smartest guys in the draft. To me, that's about as safe as it gets, even if he's on the shorter side and not an amazing skater.

Not sure a lot of people will agree with that, but that's what I see.

Yeah it’s still a toss up though, they’re all kind of flawed. Broz is probably not sudden enough skating wise for how light in the seat he is. Bumped off pucks and rubbed out somewhat easily at the NCAA level without quite enough burst to escape. Just think it’s easier for him to fill out than it is for Poulin to find another gear.

As far as safe prospects I don’t necessarily think you’re incorrect but it honestly feels like the most talented guys are the safest picks imo. Look at Sprong- the opposite of what you’d deem “high floor” and not an early pick but survived in the league just on talent long enough to keep getting shots. Jared McCann pre breakout another decent example. Prime Lars Eller was big sure, but also a good skater and very skilled. Even Mike Hoffman is still in the league for a rough decade solely because of his shot. It’s just such a competitive league where even the most vanilla cup of coffee 4th liner like ZAR is actually a really good hockey player. I feel like when you go around the league the guys with athleticism and talent are the safest bets to stick long term, even if it’s as a bottom half of the lineup player. Exceptions to everything though and I really think the biggest thing to remember with prospects and player development is the human element. Every player is unique and it’s always case by case.