Line Combos: HFBoards Decides: Opening Lineup - DP

[Randy Butternubs]

Added a new assumption:

If he is voted to the third pairing, Cole will be his partner and Schultz will be the 7th D

 

[Al Smith]

It will be interesting to see if he has a better camp than last year, when he was really bad from the first prospect tournament all the way through NHL preseason games.

 

[Ogrezilla]

Pouliot was clearly better than Schultz in the regular season imo. There's no way that Schultz should "deservedly" be above him on the depth chart. They should be equals fighting for the last spot.

I don't think Pouliot was better than Schultz. I'd say Pouliot's last few games were clearly his best stretch he had, and I'd say Schultz was pretty much at that level for us most every night. I agree that they should be fighting as equals though.

 

[NMK11]

Like most said, should be a battle for the 5/6 spots between the three mentioned. If two do not stand out, then you start with the pair that were together for the playoff run. Injuries will happen and DP will get his chance.

And to compare him vs Schultz, some of the individual flashes DP pulled off were rare, but overall Schultz is the better player. I would in no way be surprised, however, that with an injury or two and DP gets steady playing time, he makes some big leaps and becomes a mainstay.

 

[Ugene Magic]

Like most say, fight it out in the pre-season and the one who deserves it gets the nod.

I see this situation as them not needing to bring in a vet #7, but they'll probably need to bring one in at the deadline for the #7/8 to get them to 8 NHL D-men.

Could come sooner if there are more then one injury, though.

Whomever is #7 will get a good amount of time.

It is the Penguin's after all. *INJURIES*

Until the pre-season happens, Pooh is #7.

 

[Rufus]

I have a strong feeling that DP is going to outplay Schultz in camp and Schultz will be the one rotated in.

 

[WayneSid9987]

Preference is, if he loses the final spot to Schultz, to send him to WB but i dunno if that'll happen.
Alot say it won't and he'll be the #7 D but thats my preference.

 

[Giskard]

Give him more time in WBS. Looks what a lot of time in the AHL made to Dumolin that is more then 2 year older and just last year became a regular in the NHL.
And maybe we can sneak him through the expansion draft too if we don't over expose him.

 

[plaidchuck]

He rots as.a 7D and also has zero value. Either move him or send him to WBS.

 

[Clatartar]

Playing 20-25 minutes a night against the AHL's best.

 

[GFF]

It's now or never for me so he needs a crack on the 3rd pairing. If he does OK he can either be traded or rotate with Schultz, if he stinks he can head back to WBS and we give him another year.

This is an interesting poll...it could be that we get 64% of people think he isn't good enough for the 3rd pairing (32% & 32% on 7th & WBS) but he ends up on the 3rd pairing because 36% of people vote it...as it stands 56% of people think he isn't good enough for the 3rd pairing...just a thought.

 

[Shady Machine]

Why would people WANT Pouliot to be the 7th D-man? Either give him regular minutes on the 3rd pair or all of the minutes in WBS.

I want him to get NHL playing time, but I don't want him always playing over Schultz, nor will he, so I think the best spot is 7th dman to start. Get Schultz, Pouliot, and Cole playing 60 games a piece or so. Plus, we know there are going to be injuries so I doubt they will need to do as much rotating in and out of lineup as it looks like on paper.

I don't want to see him sitting too much, but I'm not sure he has much more to prove in the AHL. I think him coming into camp and earning a spot on the 23 man roster is pretty important from a confidence perspective and sending him back down to start could send bad signals between him and the org. We don't know what goes on behind the scenes, but I can't imagine he'd be too happy going back to WBS, even if he'd play more there.

 

[Randy Butternubs]

It's now or never for me so he needs a crack on the 3rd pairing. If he does OK he can either be traded or rotate with Schultz, if he stinks he can head back to WBS and we give him another year.

This is an interesting poll...it could be that we get 64% of people think he isn't good enough for the 3rd pairing (32% & 32% on 7th & WBS) but he ends up on the 3rd pairing because 36% of people vote it...as it stands 56% of people think he isn't good enough for the 3rd pairing...just a thought.

On the other hands (I have three), 78% think he should be in the NHL and 66% don't want him as the 7th D.

I'm thinking up a way to resolve this issue.

Alright, I think I have a plan.

 

[Shady Machine]

Seeing how Canada is obsessed with LH D on the left side and RH D on the right and the absurd value NHL GMs seem to be placing on RH D, I can't really see Schultz consistently out of the lineup, regardless of how DP performs. I'm not sure it's fair or anything, but the general trend seems to place a big premium on RH D.

I personally think Pouliot's best bet for a regular spot is to beat out Cole (with Dumo and Maatta taking on more PK and defensive roles) and going with:

Dumo-Letang
Pouliot-Daley
Maatta-Schultz

3 balanced pairings in terms of quality. The order doesn't really matter on the 2nd and 3rd pairings. Pouliot-Daley is intriguing because of the offensive skill and puck moving ability. It might be tough in the D zone, but just watch their zone starts. I can guarantee you that pairing (and all 3 really) won't spend much time in their own zone.