The New York Rangers are coming off a great run to the Stanley Cup Final, and like every team that goes deep, they have some key free agents that could help other teams around the NHL, One of those guys is big power-forward Benoit Pouliot, who has bounced around the last few years from team to team.
Why Is He Out There?:
Pouliot has had a tough time sticking on with teams for some reason. He was a high draft pick in Minnesota that didn’t work out, but had good runs with the Habs following his trade to Montreal. He was a good third liner in his one year in Boston, same with his stint in Tampa Bay. That also goes for this year in New York, where he was a huge contributor on a third line that potted some big goals during the post-season.
Pouliot has gone four years with one-year contracts, all with new teams, and will be looking for a raise and some stability this off-season. That might be too much for the Rangers to handle, considering the amount of players they must re-sign.
What Does He Do Well?:
Pouliot does a lot of stuff well. He’s not a sexy name, and he isn’t a guy that will light the score-sheet on fire, but he’s a solid player at the NHL level. He brings good size, standing in at 6’3” and 197 pounds, and is a guy that is still young at age 27.
Pouliot is a solid player in the sense that he is actually a very good possession player and is a guy that usually drives the play in the right direction when he is on the ice. He’s not a player that can do this against the top opponents, but he’s a perfect third liner that can play on a scoring line that battles the other team’s bottom six. When he’s in that role, the puck goes in the right direction with him on the ice.
This past year in New York, he posted a 55.1% Corsi For, while in 2013 in Tampa Bay he posted a 50.3% mark. In 2011-12 in Boston he was 54.5%, and this year in the playoffs he was a solid 51.9%. This is a player that creates more than he gives up, something not many Oiler forwards can claim.
Points wise, he isn’t going to blow your socks off. He had a solid 36 points in 80 games this past season, adding ten in 25 playoffs matches. He scored 20 points in 34 games in 2013, and had 32 in 74 games as a Bruin in 2011-12. Average scoring numbers that you would expect from an average top-nine guy.
Pouliot isn’t overly physical, and considering his size there is a bit of surprise there, but he’s still a tough player. He was deployed on the PP this year and was used as a net front presence, causing havoc in the crease. The Oilers only have David Perron that can do that on this current roster, and it’s part of the reason the PP struggled this past year.
Pouliot is also a guy that is noted to win his fair share of puck battles, and is a guy that you can trust in the corners to not get worked over and to make the smart play.
Where Will He Play, and Where Should He Play?:
Pouliot has been used as a third line winger the last few seasons, so that is likely the appropriate spot for him on an NHL depth chart. Luckily for the Oilers, that is exactly where he would fall on this team, behind both David Perron and Taylor Hall.
He could slide in on a third scoring line with Nail Yakupov and an addition at the center spot and give the Oilers a line that could battle the soft parade and put up points. It’s what he has done the past few seasons.
What Will He Cost?:
Term will be big for Pouliot I think, who has been moving around from town to town the last few summers. I suspect he’ll want a two or three year deal somewhere in the $3-$3.5 M range per season. It’s a bit of an overpay for a third line winger, but in a weak free agent class, and considering the solid season he is coming off of, it will likely be fair value. This could be too much for the Oil however.
Closing Argument:
The Oilers haven’t had a big boy with skill since Dustin Penner was traded in 2011, and while Benoit Pouliot is not as talented as Penner in his Oiler days, he’s probably the best option on the market to fill this role.
Pouliot is a proven top-nine forward at the NHL level who averages between 30-40 points a season, brings solid size to the table, is a good five-on-five player, and can play the front of the net on the power-play. This is also a guy that no matter where he has ended up, has been a good possession player. For a team like Edmonton, this checks off a lot of boxes.
If the Oilers want to run three scoring lines, like Craig MacTavish has been saying, then they should really look at Benoit Pouliot and consider giving him the security he wants to get him in the lineup. He’s a guy that has proven he can help many good teams, and would likely really help this struggling Oilers team.
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