Penguins give deals to Pouliot and Archibald
Ever since the 2016-17 season ended, Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford has been telling anyone who would listen that Derrick Pouliot finished the season strong and the organization felt he could be a contributor in the very near future.
Apparently he wasn’t just pumping the kid’s tires.
The Penguins re-signed Pouliot and Josh Archibald to one-way contracts Wednesday. Pouliot got a oneyear deal, Archibald two. Pouliot’s is worth $800,000 at the NHL level; Archibald will get $675,000.
The one-way deals mean Pouliot and Archibald will get that much regardless of whether they’re sent down to the American Hockey League. As such, giving a player a one-way contract is an indication the organization expects him to see NHL games.
In Pouliot’s case, it’s likely a now-or-never type of situation, a last chance. A first-round pick in 2012, Pouliot has shown flashes of his enormous potential, but consistency has been tough to come by.
Pouliot has greatly improved his offseason conditioning, working with renowned trainer Gary Roberts in Toronto, but those results haven’t translated to the ice, his two-way game not nearly matching his chiseled physique.
This past season, Pouliot produced zero points in 11 games and punched up a minus-4 rating. As Penguins defensemen dropped like flies, Pouliot didn’t sniff the starting lineup.
Late in the season, however, Rutherford insisted he got positive reports from Bill Guerin and Mark Recchi, two members of the organization charged with keeping tabs on Pouliot. Guerin and Recchi told Rutherford that Pouliot was doing plenty right in Wilkes-Barre/ Scranton.
“We really like what he did at the end of the year,” Rutherford said. “All of our development guys really felt that he made giant steps toward where he needs to be to be in Pittsburgh. We’re pretty pleased with where he ended up. If he can build on that coming into camp, he should be with our team.”
Pouliot, 23, has played 67 NHL games and produced two goals and 14 points.
Archibald, 24, played 10 NHL games this season after seeing one in 2015-16. The speedy wing scored three goals this season and saw action in four playoff games.
With a strong training camp, there’s no reason Archibald couldn’t earn a spot with the NHL club, especially with Chris Kunitz leaving via free agency.
His speed suits coach Mike Sullivan’s system well, and Archibald has also shown an ability to kill penalties, something the Penguins will need with Nick Bonino and (for now) Matt Cullen gone.
Fall Classic returns
One of the USHL’s marquee events, the Fall Classic, will return to Pittsburgh Sept. 27-Oct. 1.
All 17 organizations in the USHL will be under one roof at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex, where management and scouts from all 31 NHL teams will gather.
“The Fall Classic serves as an important evaluation benchmark for players heading into the 2018 NHL Draft,” Dan Marr, the NHL’s director of central scouting, said in a statement. “We are pleased that this successful event is part of a growing partnership between the USHL, NHL and Pittsburgh Penguins.”
The USHL’s Youngstown Phantoms — former Penguin Troy Loney is CEO and co-owner — hosted the Fall Classic East here last year.
In addition to the Fall Classic, there also will be two invitational youth one tournaments, one featuring many of the top 14U teams and the other some of the best 16U teams in North America.