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Penguins' 1st Rounder Eligible for Extension: Kyle Dubas Has Difficult Decision to Make
A difficult decision could be coming up for Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas about the future of right winger Sam Poulin, a former 1st round pick.
The Pittsburgh Penguins have a decision to make when ti comes to the future of forward Sam Poulin, who was their 1st round pick in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft.
Poulin was actually waived by the Penguins in October and then assigned to the AHL affiliate Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, where he played most of the year.
He would put together 43 points (19G, 24A) in 57 games, a new career-best. He would also appear in 7 games with the Penguins and had an assist.
Seth Rorabaugh of The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review believes that there is still an opportunity for Poulin, who still has a year left on his contract with an AAV (average annual value) of $775,000, to be part of the long-term solution for the club.
The future: Just given the nature of being a first-round draft pick, Poulin is always going to have a certain set of expectations thrust upon him. And it's fair to suggest he has failed to meet those hopes nearly six years after being drafted, even when accounting for the lengthy leave of absence he took in 2022-23 to address his mental health. But that doesn't mean the possibility of being part of the rebuilding Penguins has evaporated for Poulin.
His 2019 scouting report via Elite Prospects reads as follows:
Poulin is a very all-round player. He plays a good two-way game and has very few weaknesses to his game. Furthermore, he competes hard, has leadership qualities and is a decent point producer.
At 24 years old, there is still plenty of upside for Poulin and it will be up to GM Kyle Dubas to decide his long-term future with the team.
| POLL | ||
JUIN 14 | 118 ANSWERS Penguins' 1st Rounder Eligible for Extension: Kyle Dubas Has Difficult Decision to Make Should the Penguins give a contract extension to 2019 1st round pick Sam Poulin? | ||
| Yes | 70 | 59.3 % |
| No | 48 | 40.7 % |
| List of polls | ||