Poulin & Puljujarvi Could Provide Penguins with Depth Scoring

The Penguins have been struggling lately to put a full team performance together for 60 minutes. One of their major areas of concern is the bottom six. Although depth scoring has improved this season, it is still not where it should be. The top-six can’t do it all, and they have to find a way to jump-start their depth. There could be some possible help for this down in Wilkes-Barre.

Jesse Puljujarvi 

Jesse Puljujarvi was drafted fourth overall in 2016 by the Edmonton Oilers but never really found his footing and in 2022 he was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes. In December 2023 after undergoing bilateral hip surgery, he joined the Penguins on a free-agent tryout. Then in January, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins signed him to a professional tryout agreement. He has played in 11 games and has scored four goals with four assists for a total of eight points. 

At 25 years old, Puljujarvi is hoping to at least earn a contract with the WBS Penguins if not with Pittsburgh. There is no doubt the Penguins could use the 6-foot-4, 201-pound winger in their lineup if he is ready. They already know he is not going to put up a ton of offense, however, his strength lies in his forechecking abilities. He has the ability to get to the net and disrupt the opposing defensemen. 

Switching Puljujarvi out with Jansen Harkins on the fourth line for a few games might be a good way to kickstart the bottom six. Another possible option might be to insert him into the second line and move Colin White down to help with depth scoring. His offensive game is improving and with Drew O’Connor’s game now hitting its stride they may be the perfect duo to help get Evgeni Malkin out of his recent funk.

Sam Poulin 

Another possible option to help with the Penguins’ bottom six struggles is Sam Poulin. He was drafted by the Penguins in the first round in 2019. He has been one of their top prospects ever since, and he may finally be ready to make the switch from a prospect to an NHL player. He has played in 23 games this season with the WBS Penguins and scored 11 goals with five assists for a total of 16 points. 

At 22 years old, Poulin stands at 6-foot-2 and weighs in at 213 pounds. He is a strong skater who is not afraid to shoot the puck and would add some youth to the team. Trying him out on the second line with Malkin might not be a bad idea or swapping him with Harkins on the fourth line is another possible option. All areas of his game have improved and it may finally be time for Pittsburgh to give him a real shot in the NHL. 

Penguins Need to Explore All Options

At this point, the Penguins have to do whatever is going to put them in the best position to win games. They can’t leave anything on the table and might as well explore all of their options. There are other areas of concern besides the bottom six, however, if the team learned anything last season, it’s that without contribution from their depth they will not be successful. Bringing in some younger players from Wilkes-Barre might just be exactly the spark the team needs.