For the burden of expectations that comes with being a first-round pick, there is at least one benefit: there will usually be a long list of teams willing to give a player that’s run out of opportunities with the team that drafted him a second shot based on that first-round pedigree.
The Canucks are that team for Derrick Pouliot, acquiring the 23-year-old defenceman from the Penguins on Tuesday morning in exchange for Andrey Pedan and a 2018 fourth-round pick. The trade came hours before rosters had to be submitted ahead of the start of the regular season. Since Pouliot requires waivers to be sent to the AHL, he’ll be with the Canucks when they open the season Saturday night against the Oilers, likely as one of the team’s two healthy scratch defencemen.
Canucks willing to take a chance on defenceman Derrick Pouliot
