Boston Bruins Forward Benoit Pouliot Has Likely Played His Last Game In Black And Gold

With the recent signings of forward Chris Kelly and Greg Campbell, the Bruins appear to have little room for young winger Benoit Pouliot. the team is already approaching the cap limit as it is, and Pouliot would likely command a raise from the $1.1M he was signed for last summer.

Pouliot, 25, was originally drafted 4th overall in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft by the Minnesota Wild. Pouliot was a big disappointment in Minnesota, recording just 11 points in 37 games in the NHL before being sent down to the franchise's AHL affiliate in Houston, Texas. He was later dealt to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for Guillame Latendresse. Pouliot continued to disappoint in Montreal, recording just 54 points in a total of 118 games over the course of two seasons. The Bruins decided to take a chance on him last summer, signing him to a one year, $1.1M contract for the 2011-2012 season. He seemed to come into his own under head coach Claude Julien, playing on the third line alongside Chris Kelly and Rich Peverley and playing a solid two way game while bringing a new level of energy to is game. Pouliot recorded 32 points in his first season with the black and gold and played extremely well in the post season, despite only recording 2 points.

While Pouliot may not be a total bust, he definitely is not the player the Wild thought that they were getting when they selected him in the top 5 of the 2005 draft. With that said, Pouliot seems to have found a new level of confidence in his game and appears to play his best while in a reduced role. Chances are, he will go on to have a solid NHL career and will earn himself a bit of a raise this summer on the open market. One thing to remember though is that he is a restricted free agent, and the Bruins retain his rights as long as they tender him a qualifying offer. If that is done, he can be had by any team via offer sheet, but that team will have to give the Bruins some level of draft pick compensation. If he isn't signed by another team or traded by the Bruins, he will have the option to sign his qualifying offer and return to Boston for at least another year.