With a fair amount of uncertainty surrounding the immediate future for center Noel Acciari, the Pittsburgh Penguins have a hole to fill on their roster. The safe route, and most likely, is that Colin White will slide into Acciari's spot, and the Penguins will recall a 13th forward.
The more risky option, but one that could pay higher dividends, would be the Penguins recalling their 2019 first-round pick, Sam Poulin. Poulin has been lighting up the AHL with the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins since recovering from a lower-body injury that held him out early in the season.
Poulin has 18 points (11G-7A) in 27 games this season and made waves a few weeks back by registering a "Gordie Howe" hat trick against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
Penguins President/General Manager Kyle Dubas spoke highly of Poulin's recent performance on The GM Show, saying, "He's really started to assert himself at that level this year."
It remains uncertain how long Acciari will miss, but a longer-term absence could open the door for Poulin to get his first NHL opportunity of the 2023-24 season.
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