Montreal Canadiens: Ryan Poehling’s future depends on Phillip Danault
By Omar L
That was three years ago, and in that time frame, Poehling has seen a total of 28 NHL games. He made his debut against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the final game of the 2018-19 season, getting his first career hat-trick along with the shootout winner.
Poehling ran into injuries during training camp and wound up spending the 2019-20 season with the Laval Rocket until he was called up in November. It looked as if he was struggling to find his way. He was going back and forth between centre and left-wing but saw flashes of the player he could be combining his size with his hockey sense and awareness to continue play.
The Montreal Canadiens are in a much different position than they were in 2017.
Danault has improved his overall play, so much so that some felt he should’ve gotten consideration for the Selke this year over Sean Couturier.
Must Read. Was Danault snubbed for the Selke?. light
Nick Suzuki made the scene off a dominating year in the OHL and has gained the trust of the coaching staff to secure the second-line centre spot. Kotkaniemi had a good rookie year and struggled this season but looks ready to rebound from his regular season in the qualifier. And then there’s Max Domi who broke out last season with 28 goals and 72 points.
So where does Poehling fit in a new situation where the Habs aren’t desperate for centres anymore. An organization can never have enough centres, so Marc Bergevin shouldn’t be too quick to move on from him; however, that is a possibility now.
Poehling has a higher ceiling than being a fourth-line centre. In fact, there’s enough there to see him as a third-line winger who can bring power to his game. A player like that can be an effective 5v5 option. That said, the Montreal Canadiens have more options upcoming along the wall.