Yardbarker: Benoit Pouliot

Afternoon Analysis: Francophone Shuffle

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 21:12:55 -0500

TSN reported earlier today that the Minnesota Wild and the Montreal Canadiens had swapped young forwards. Going to Montreal is Benoit Pouliot, a former 4th overall draft pick who has obvious talent but has been an enigma so far in Minnesota. Headed to the Twin Cities is Guillaume Latendresse, also a big winger with upside who [...]

Christmas comes early Pouliot traded to the Habs.

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 20:06:00 -0500

RWD game me a heads up on this trade. I am excited about this trade because I have never been impressed with Benoit Pouliot, the kid was a waste of a uniform who put up little if any effort and I wondered why the Wild keep coming back with him in the lineup, now if the Wild can get rid of their other first round mistake James Sheppard the kid has shown nothing to date that leads me to believe that he will ever be anything more than a fourth line player. I don't think he has even earned the right to play on the Wild's fourth line in my humble opinion. If he is lucky he MIGHT score 5-10 goals this season. As a self confessed Montreal Canadians’ hater I guess it will take some time for me to get used to this move. I think that Guillaume Latendresse might be able to add some grit in front of the opposition net.

The thing I like about Wild general manager Chuck Fletcher is that he isn’t sitting around making excused like the former Wild GM Doug Risebrough did. I actually like the fact that this season Fletcher has went out and got Chuck Kobasew, Andrew Ebbett. It shows that Fletcher isn’t going to sit around and just let people wear a uniform.

The Minnesota Wild and Montreal Canadiens traded underachieving forwards Monday afternoon.

Montreal sent power forward Guillaume Latendresse to the Wild in exchange for forward Benoit Pouliot.

Latendresse, a 6-foot-2, 230-pound left wing, has just 2 goals and 3 points on this season after a 26-point season in 2008-09. In his first three season, Latendresse had put together back-to-back 16-goal seasons in his first two years in the League.

"Guillaume is a young, talented forward who has averaged 15 goals per season in each of his first three NHL seasons,” Wild GM Chuck Fletcher said. “At just 22 years old, he will add size and a scoring punch to our roster.”

Pouliot, Minnesota's first-round pick, No. 4 overall, in the 2005 Entry Draft, has just 2 goals and 4 points in 13 games this season. The 6-foot-3, 199-pound left wing has 9 goals and 18 points in 65 NHL games, spread across parts of four seasons.

Pouliot is presently out of the lineup with an upper-body injury. He last played on Nov. 13. Latendresse, meanwhile, has been relegated to third- and fourth-line duty for the Canadiens. He has not seen more than 9 minutes of ice time since Nov. 5. [Wild.Com] Props to [Mike Russo]

Puck Previews: Bruins, Blues seek streak; Lappy back in Denver

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 18:57:30 -0500

Here are your Puck Previews: Spotlighting the key games in NHL action, news and views as well as general frivolity. Make sure to stop back here for the nightly Three Stars when the games are finished. Preview: Boston Bruins at St. Louis Blues, 8 p.m. EST. OK, so a three-game winning streak isn't exactly shattering NHL records. But for two underperforming teams like the B's and Blues, it's a pretty big deal, and one of them will have a three-gamer for the first time this season aft...

Wild ship former No. 1 pick Pouliot to Canadiens

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 18:55:24 -0500

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) -- The Minnesota Wild have traded former first-round draft choice Benoit Pouliot to Montreal for left wing Guillaume Latendresse.

A fresh start for Pouliot

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 18:51:00 -0500

MONTREAL –Playing for the Canadiens is special and Benoit Pouliot knows it. Drafted just ahead of Carey Price at fourth overall at the 2005 NHL Entry Draft, Pouliot didn’t hesitate when it came to describing what he will bring to t...

Minnesota Wild trade Benoit Pouliot for Montreal Canadiens' Guillaume Latendresse

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 18:35:00 -0500

The Minnesota Wild have traded former first-round draft choice Benoit Pouliot to Montreal for left wing Guillaume Latendresse.

Habs acquire Pouliot, trade Latendresse

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:30:00 -0500

PRESS RELEASE MONTREAL – Montreal Canadiens General manager Bob Gainey announced today that the Club acquired left winger Benoit Pouliot from the Minnesota Wild in return for left winger Guillaume Latendresse. « Benoit Poul...

The first round bust known as Benoit Pouliot.

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 12:35:00 -0500

In the offseason I was very disappointed to know that the Wild has decided to keep first round bust Benoit Pouliot. Drafted in the first round Pouliot is another reminder of the players selected in 2005 that we could have had instead of Pouliot.

Let’s take a look at the players who were drafted after Beniot Pouliot in the first round of the 2005 entry draft, Anze Kopitar, 11th by the LA Kings, Marc Staal 12th New York, Tuukka Rask 21 Toronto and T.J. Oshie 24th by the St Louis Blues. I am sure that Kopitar, Staal, Rahd and Oshie would look a lot better than the slacker wearing number 67. Frankly I find that Pouliot is a brutal reminder of the horrible first round draft choices that Doug Risebrough made during his tenur in Minnesota. Another reminder is the first rounds busts as James Sheppard.

A line that Kurt Russell immortalized in the 2004 movie, “Miracle,” and a line that fits perfectly with the crossroads that Benoit Pouliot’s career is at.

Drafted 4th Overall in the 2005 Entry Draft, Pouliot was drafted as the Minnesota Wild’s “Next Big Thing.”

Taken just three spots behind Sidney Crosby and ahead of names like Carey Price, Devin Setoguchi, and Anze Kopitar, Pouliot was expected to give the Wild the scoring punch beside Marian Gaborik that they had needed for so long.

Entering his fourth pro season, Pouliot has yet to live up to those lofty expectations.

In 52 NHL games, he has tallied just 7 goals and 14 points. After an impressive rookie campaign with the

Houston Aeros in the 2006-07 season, one that saw him tally 19 goals and 36 points as a rookie, Pouliot was expected to contend for a roster spot on the big squad the following season. He was even given the opportunity to play pivot between Gaborik and Pavol Demitra in what would form the team’s top line.

Unfortunately, Pouliot didn’t quite make the cut. He did, however, earn a late season call up that saw him get a couple goals in the last eleven games of the season. [Bleacher Report]

Pouliot Losses Drivers License

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 09:04:05 -0500

from Michael Russo of the Star Tribune, Wild center Benoit Pouliot has lost his driver’s license for a year after being found guilty of drunken driving Monday in an Ontario court room. Pouliot, 22, was also fined $1,828 for operating a motor vehicle with a blood alcohol concentration level over the legal limit and refusing to provide police with a second breath sample. continued

The Pouliot Pick

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 08:47:00 -0500

I hate to harp on this, but remember the 2005 draft?1. Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh.2. Bobby Ryan, Anaheim.3. Jack Johnson, Carolina.4. Benoit Pouliot, Wild.5. Carey Price, Montreal.8. Devin Setoguchi, San Jose.10. Anze Kopitar, Los Angeles.18. Ryan Parent, Nashville.24. T.J. Oshie, St. Louis.28. Matt Niskanen, Dallas.51. Mason Raymond, Vancouver.One of these players is not like the other, one of these players is not the same.

Benoit Pouliot gets up close and personal with the ice

Tue, 11 Mar 2008 00:06:54 -0500

On Friday March 7th, the Houston Aeros took on the Hartford Wolfpack in an AHL game in Houston. The Aero's scored about 9 minutes into the game, but beside that goal, it was a fairly uneventful game, at least until the end. Time was winding down in the third period with Houston up 1-0 when with under a minute left (12 seconds to be exact), a big scrum started in front of the Aero's net.