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Samuel Poulin

Penguins Reassign Samuel Poulin, Likely To Activate Tristan Jarry

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The Penguins returned winger Samuel Poulin to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton after suiting up in their last two games, per the team. His roster spot will likely go to goaltender Tristan Jarry, whom head coach Dan Muse implied should be ready to come off injured reserve before tomorrow’s contest with the Sabres, per Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

Poulin, 24, continues to be a fine call-up option but has seemingly plateaued far short of what the Pens hoped for him when they selected him No. 21 overall in the 2019 draft. His two-game call-up in place of winger Ville Koivunen, who Rorabaugh also said could be an option to come off IR tomorrow, raised his career total of NHL appearances to 15. He’s still looking for his first goal but has two assists with a -5 rating in 10:06 of average ice time. He got a bit of a longer leash on this call-up, averaging 13:49 per game, but posted a -2 rating and only managed one shot on goal. The Pens did out-attempt opponents 29-24 with Poulin on the ice at 5-on-5, though.

However, in the minors, the 6’2″ Quebec native is having his best season yet. After establishing himself as a top AHL contributor in the past two years, he’s now flirting with a point-per-game pace. In 16 appearances, he has seven goals and eight assists for 15 points to lead the team in scoring. Since the beginning of the 2023-24 season, Poulin now has a 42-47–89 scoring line in 114 games.

His demotion comes as Bryan Rust is expected not to miss any time with the illness that kept him out of yesterday’s practice, per Rorabaugh. That’s spectacular news for a Pens team that already has five forwards on IR, including top-six pieces Justin Brazeau and Rickard Rakell.

As for how they’ll use Poulin’s roster spot, there’s a bit of a question mark. If only Jarry is coming off IR tomorrow, that means the Pens will carry three netminders for the time being. Top prospect Sergey Murashov has looked the part through his first four NHL appearances in Jarry’s weeks-long absence, posting a 1-1-1 record with a .913 SV%, 1.90 GAA, and his first career shutout through four appearances. With only 0.1 goals saved above expected, though, he clearly grades out as the Pens’ third-best netminder behind Jarry and Arturs Silovs, at least based on the latter two’s early-season samples (per MoneyPuck). It does little for the 21-year-old’s development to keep him on the active roster if he’s not going to be used in an equal three-goalie rotation.

In all likelihood, they haven’t returned the waiver-exempt Murashov to WBS because they’re still waiting for absolute certainty on Jarry’s status for tomorrow. If he and Koivunen are both available, Murashov would presumably be reassigned in a corresponding transaction to keep them at the 23-player roster limit.

Penguins Place Ville Koivunen On IR, Recall Samuel Poulin

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According to a team announcement, the Pittsburgh Penguins have recalled forward Samuel Poulin from the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Additionally, Pittsburgh has placed forward Ville Koivunen on the injured reserve with a lower-body injury.

There’s no questioning that Poulin has earned another opportunity at the NHL level. The former 21st overall pick of the 2019 NHL Draft is currently the leading scorer on the AHL Penguins with seven goals and 15 points in 16 games with a +8 rating.

Factoring in last year’s performance, in which he scored 19 goals and 43 points in 57 games, Poulin could provide additional offense to Pittsburgh’s bottom-six. Unfortunately, he has yet to show any flashes of offense at the NHL level, registering two assists in 13 games since the start of the 2022-23 campaign.

Still, it’s an inspiring recovery from a prospect that nearly left the game entirely during the 2022-23 season. Poulin took a leave of absence from the AHL Penguins early into that campaign, citing mental health concerns after suffering from a panic attack during a game. Coming off the best AHL performance of his career and starting the 2025-26 campaign with nearly a point-per-game, Poulin may have finally turned a corner in his development.

Meanwhile, the Penguins noted in their announcement that Koivunen’s lower-body injury will likely keep him out of the lineup for the next few weeks. The former draft pick of the Carolina Hurricanes had skated in 11 games for Pittsburgh this season, tallying two assists while averaging 12:34 of ice time per game.

Waivers: 10/4/25

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With a little over 48 hours remaining before season-opening rosters need to be submitted to the league, it’s expected to be a very busy weekend on the waiver wire.  Not surprisingly, it’s another big list of players on waivers today as 17 players have been put there, per PuckPedia.  Meanwhile, all 12 players on waivers yesterday passed through unclaimed, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman (Twitter link).  Here’s today’s list of players on the wire:

Dallas Stars

F Cameron Hughes
D Vladislav Kolyachonok

Florida Panthers

D Tobias Bjornfot
G Brandon Bussi

New Jersey Devils

F Thomas Bordeleau
F Angus Crookshank
F Brian Halonen
F Zack MacEwen
D Colton White

Philadelphia Flyers

D Dennis Gilbert

Pittsburgh Penguins

D Alexander Alexeyev
D Ryan Graves
F Rafael Harvey-Pinard
F Bokondji Imama
F Samuel Poulin

San Jose Sharks

F Colin White

Utah Hockey Club

F Cameron Hebig

Graves is the headliner in today’s class, primarily due to his contract which has four years left on it.  We covered his situation in more detail earlier today.

Among the rest of the players, Bjornfot is no stranger to being in this situation but he has been claimed twice before.  He spent most of last season in the minors with Florida but did get into 14 games with the Panthers and has 134 games at the top level under his belt.  Alexeyev played sparingly last season with Washington not wanting to risk losing him for nothing on waivers but it appears that Pittsburgh doesn’t have that same level of hesitance.  Meanwhile, Kolyachonok was claimed off waivers by the Penguins back in February before being flipped to Dallas over the summer so it’s possible another team might have their eye on him as well.  Gilbert signed with the Flyers this summer after splitting last season between Ottawa and Buffalo but while the thought was that he’d at least be able to land a seventh role, that isn’t the case.

As for the forwards, San Jose’s White is by far the most experienced with 323 NHL appearances.  However, he has primarily been an AHL player in recent years and it’s likely that he will clear and be assigned to the Barracuda.  Poulin was a 2019 first-round pick but hasn’t seen much time with the Penguins, including just seven games last season.  But at 24, he’s young enough to potentially be of interest to a team that wants to take a longer look at him.  Bordeleau held his own in 27 games with the Sharks in 2023-24 but only played once for them last season before being moved in July in a swap of AHL players.  But like Poulin, he’s young enough (23) to potentially draw attention.

These players will be on waivers until 1:00 PM CT on Sunday.

Metropolitan Notes: Jones, Soucy, Poulin

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The Rangers have had contract discussions with pending RFA defenseman Zac Jones, reports Mollie Walker of the New York Post (subscription link).  The 24-year-old expressed frustration with his usage earlier in the season; while he set a new career-high in games played, he still only suited up 46 times, recording 11 points in a little over 17 minutes per night of playing time.  His camp had permission to explore trade options during the season but nothing materialized in terms of a move.  He’s owed a qualifying offer of just over $866K but also has arbitration eligibility which is something New York would likely prefer to avoid.  That might explain the early discussions as if the two sides can’t find a suitable deal, Jones could be a non-tender candidate at the end of the month to avoid the risk of a possible arbitration award that’s higher than they want to pay.

More from the Metropolitan:

  • While the future of K’Andre Miller with the Rangers remains murky, Arthur Staple of The Athletic suggests (subscription link) that clearing out the final year of Carson Soucy’s contract is something else New York will be looking to do on the left side of their back end. The 30-year-old was acquired from Vancouver near the trade deadline as a buy-low addition with the hopes that a change of scenery could give him a boost.  Instead, that didn’t happen and Soucy was even briefly scratched.  He had 13 points, 106 hits, and 113 blocks in 75 games this season but with a year and $3.25MM left on his contract, GM Chris Drury likely feels that money could be better spent elsewhere.  Soucy has a full no-trade clause until July 1st when that protection drops to a 12-team no-trade list.
  • This season wasn’t a great one for Penguins winger Samuel Poulin. He cleared waivers during training camp and outside of a seven-game stint with Pittsburgh (six of which came in November), playing time at the top level was hard to come by.  Even so, Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review feels that the 24-year-old still has a chance to be in Pittsburgh’s plans.  With the team planning to get younger, the fact that he had a career-best 41 points with AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton this season, and his size as the heaviest player in the organization, Poulin could very well find himself in the mix with the big club next season.  If not, he’ll have to pass through waivers again and could be a candidate to be claimed with his stronger showing in the minors this year.

Minor Transactions: 4/18/25

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There will be several small roster moves today as playoff teams recall their required third goalie for practice and emergency backup purposes, and non-playoff teams conduct some end-of-season roster trimming. We’ll cover all those moves here:

  • The Blues announced they’ve recalled goaltender Will Cranley from ECHL Florida to serve as their emergency backup. St. Louis selected the 23-year-old in the sixth round of the 2020 draft. He was previously added to the Blues’ practice roster for a day during the 4 Nations break while Jordan Binnington was traveling back from the tournament. He finished his second professional season with a 2.71 GAA, .896 SV%, two shutouts, and an 11-9-3 record in 23 ECHL games. He also logged a .867 SV% in a pair of appearances for AHL Springfield, the first of his career.
  • The Stars added defensemen Lian Bichsel and Alexander Petrovic back to the active roster after reassigning them to AHL Texas yesterday for cap purposes. They needed the space to activate Tyler Seguin from long-term injured reserve for the final game of the regular season. They’re expected to serve as the third pairing in Game 1 of the first round against the Avalanche tomorrow, per Sam Nestler of DLLS Sports. It’ll be the postseason debut for Bichsel, Dallas’ first-round draft choice in 2022. They also recalled goaltender Ben Kraws from ECHL Idaho as their EBUG. An undrafted free agent signing out of St. Lawrence last year, the 24-year-old impressed with a 2.88 GAA, .910 SV%, five shutouts, and a 23-12-5 record in 40 games for Idaho. He also posted a 3.01 GAA and .889 SV% in three appearances for AHL Texas, logging a 2-1-0 record.
  • Serving as the Avalanche’s EBUG will be Kevin Mandolese, the team announced. The 24-year-old has spent the year as Trent Miner’s backup with AHL Colorado after being acquired from the Senators over the offseason. He has a 2.87 GAA, .903 SV%, 11-6-0 record, and one shutout in 19 games.
  • Since the Wild’s AHL affiliate is one of the few to miss the cut for the Calder Cup Playoffs, they’re going with a higher-profile option for their EBUG. Top prospect Jesper Wallstedt will fill the role for them, according to a club announcement. The 2021 first-rounder is expected to succeed the retiring Marc-André Fleury as Filip Gustavsson’s backup next season, but is coming off a disastrous injury-plagued campaign with Iowa. He finished the year with a 3.59 GAA, .879 SV%, one shutout, and a 9-14-4 record in 27 showings.
  • The Panthers summoned Evan Cormier from ECHL Savannah to be their EBUG, per George Richards of Florida Hockey Now. The 27-year-old struggled with a 3.38 GAA, .887 SV%, one shutout, and a 17-13-4 record in 36 showings in 2024-25. He filled the same duties for the Cats in the first half of last year’s playoff run, signing a two-way deal at the trade deadline for the second season in a row.
  • The Penguins returned forwards Ville Koivunen, Joona Koppanen, Vasiliy Ponomarev, Samuel Poulin, Valtteri Puustinen, and defenseman Filip Král to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton after their late-season call-ups. They’ll aid the Baby Pens as they aim to capture a Calder Cup. Not joining them is top prospect Rutger McGroarty, who sustained a lower-body injury last week and isn’t yet ready to return.
  • The Flames assigned forward Sam Morton and defenseman Hunter Brzustewicz to AHL Calgary after they made their NHL debuts in last night’s regular-season finale. Morton scored his first NHL goal in the outing, while Brzustewicz impressed with a plus-two rating. They’ll join the Wranglers for the postseason.
  • The Toronto Maple Leafs have recalled enforcer Ryan Reaves from the minor leagues. Reaves recently played in his first AHL games since the 2010-11 season. He recorded one goal and, surprisingly, no penalty minutes in three games of play. The 38-year-old also recorded two assists and 28 penalty minutes in 35 NHL games this season. He’ll provide a boost of muscle to the Leafs lineup as they head towards a First Round matchup against the Ottawa Senators.
  • Defenseman Emil Andrae has been reassigned to the minor leagues after holding down a routine role on the Philadelphia Flyers lineup since early March. Andrae split his time between the major and minor rosters this season, with seven points in 42 NHL games and 16 points in 25 AHL games. He was primarily a minor-leaguer last season and managed a stout 32 points, 66 penalty minutes, and minus-10 in 61 games. With the Flyers season over, Andrae will look to again support the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in a late-season push.
  • The Edmonton Oilers have recalled depth forward Derek Ryan from the minor leagues. Ryan split time between the NHL and AHL this year, with one goal and six points in 36 games in the Oilers lineup. He also managed eight points in 13 AHL games. Ryan has played in the Stanley Cup Playoffs on five different occasions, racking up 10 points in 60 games. That includes appearing in 19 games of Edmonton’s run to the Stanley Cup Finals last season. Ryan contributed one assist to the effort. He’ll now be returned to the NHL roster to support another long run.
  • The Rochester Americans are getting a wave of strong recruits, as the Buffalo Sabres have reassigned each of Jiri Kulich, Tyson Kozak, Noah Ostlund, and Isak Rosen back to the minor leagues. Rosen leads Rochester in scoring this season with 28 goals and 55 points in 60 games. Ostlund has 36 points in 44 games, while Kozak has 14 points in 31 games. Kulich has been the only of the bunch to spend the bulk of the season in the NHL. He carved out a top-six role through points of the season. Kulich finished what was his rookie NHL season with 15 goals and 24 points in 62 games.

This page will be updated throughout the day.

Penguins Acquire Philip Tomasino From Predators

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The Penguins announced Monday that they’ve acquired forward Philip Tomasino from the Predators in exchange for the Rangers’ 2027 fourth-round pick. Pittsburgh assigned center Samuel Poulin to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton minutes earlier in a corresponding transaction to make room on the active roster.

Tomasino, still only 23, gets a fresh start in Pittsburgh after having his minutes and overall usage heavily restricted in Nashville ever since the Preds drafted him 24th overall in the 2019 draft. The team confirmed he’s en route to Pittsburgh and will practice tomorrow in hopes of being available for their next game, a Wednesday tilt against the Canucks.

While Tomasino had often been an effective points-per-hour depth piece throughout his first three NHL seasons, the same can’t be said for 2024-25. The Ontario native has struggled on a Nashville team that’s struggled to finish at 5-on-5, posting just one assist in 11 games while averaging a career-low 11:18 per game.

Tomasino had stuck around on the Preds’ roster so far this season after seeing lengthy AHL assignments in both 2022-23 and 2023-24, although that was likely out of fear over losing him on waivers for nothing. This is his first season not being waiver-exempt. Instead, they at least get one asset in return, even if it’s only a mid-round pick that’s years away.

The 6’0″ winger had been a healthy scratch in 10 of 21 games this season, including a stretch of seven straight scratches between Oct. 19 and Nov. 6. He’d also been scratched in two out of Nashville’s last three games.

Given that lack of usage, it’s not at all surprising that the Preds, now fully under the control of general manager Barry Trotz after 20-plus years of David Poile at the helm, decided now was the right time to move on from Tomasino before his value dropped off even more. He still hasn’t come close to sniffing his career-highs of 11 goals and 32 points in 76 games that he set in his rookie campaign in 2021-22 despite averaging under 12 minutes per night.

Still, it stands to reason for Pittsburgh that there’s a fair amount of rebound and breakout potential in Tomasino’s game if he’s deployed in a top-nine role. The forward has 23 goals and 71 points in 159 games over his four-year career – a 12-goal, 37-point average over 82 games squarely in bottom-six usage.

Throughout his Predators career, Tomasino’s possession impacts were negligible. He boasts a career +1 rating, and Nashville controlled 49.6% of shot attempts with him on the ice at even strength since his debut, compared to 48.7% without him.

With the Pens’ offense struggling to click at 2.52 goals per game, Tomasino may get a look in the top nine or even top six alongside Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin to see how he responds in a complementary role. His leash will likely be short. He signed a one-year, $825K deal at the beginning of training camp to end a months-long standoff as a restricted free agent, so he’s at risk of being non-tendered next summer if he can’t perform in Pittsburgh, especially since he’s eligible to file for salary arbitration.

Pittsburgh previously acquired the Rangers’ 2027 fourth-rounder at last year’s trade deadline in exchange for defenseman Chad Ruhwedel.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Penguins Recall Samuel Poulin

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The Penguins announced that they have recalled right-winger Samuel Poulin from AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Center Kevin Hayes was transferred to injured reserve to open an active roster spot.

Poulin, now 23, was Pittsburgh’s first-round selection in the 2019 draft. They selected him 21st overall, a tad higher than the consensus at the time, ahead of names like Connor McMichael and Shane Pinto. He’d been taken second overall in the QMJHL Entry Draft by the Sherbrooke Phoenix just two years prior, and he’d started his major junior career on the right foot with 45 goals, 76 assists, and 121 points through 122 appearances over two seasons before being plucked by the Penguins.

After another two years of high-end offensive performances in the Q, Poulin turned pro and began the 2021-22 season on assignment to WBS. Injuries and a lengthy leave of absence to focus on his mental health have limited his games played and overall performance significantly since then, though. 2022-23 was a low point – while he did make his NHL debut that season amid a three-game call-up, he was limited to just four goals in 15 AHL contests. Last year, though, he seemed to gain some traction back with 31 points (16 G, 15 A) in 41 appearances with the Baby Pens, the best point-per-game showing of his AHL career by a wide margin.

In 2024-25, Poulin was waiver-eligible for the first time, leading to a fair amount of speculation that he’d make the team out of camp purely out of fear of losing him on the wire. That didn’t happen, though, and Poulin cleared waivers without incident in early October and began the season back in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. He’s got three goals and six assists for nine points in his first 11 games, tying him for second in scoring.

Poulin now looks to see NHL ice for the third year in a row after three-game showings in each of the last two seasons. In those combined six appearances, he has one assist, a -4 rating, four shots on goal and eight hits while going 13-for-29 on draws and averaging 8:53 per game. He’s no longer among the league’s top 100 prospects, but McKeen’s Hockey still ranks him as the seventh-best up-and-comer in the Pens’ system. He can remain on Pittsburgh’s roster for up to 30 days or play 10 games before he requires waivers again to head back to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

As for Hayes, he was downgraded to week-to-week yesterday with an upper-body injury. The IR placement only rules him out for tonight’s game against the Stars, but he’ll miss more time than that.

Waiver Wire: 10/4/24

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According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman all 17 players on waivers yesterday have cleared. There are again several players to hit the wire today as reported by Friedman:

Anaheim Ducks

F Jansen Harkins

Boston Bruins

G Michael DiPietro
F Vinni Lettieri
D Jordan Oesterle

Florida Panthers

F William Lockwood

Los Angeles Kings

F Taylor Ward

New Jersey Devils

F Justin Dowling
F Mike Hardman
F Samuel Laberge
F Nathan Légaré
F Maxwell Willman

Philadelphia Flyers

F Olle Lycksell
F Anthony Richard

Pittsburgh Penguins

F Emil Bemström
D Nate Clurman
F Jonathan Gruden
F Joona Koppanen
D Filip Král
D John Ludvig
F Samuel Poulin

Tampa Bay Lightning

G Matt Tomkins

Toronto Maple Leafs

F Alex Steeves

Washington Capitals

D Ethan Bear
F Luke Philp
F Michael Sgarbossa

Penguins Reassign Sam Poulin, Recall Radim Zohorna

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The Penguins announced that right-wing Samuel Poulin has been assigned to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. His roster spot will go to left-wing Radim Zohorna, who was recalled from WBS in a corresponding move.

Poulin has been on the Penguins roster for most days since he was recalled on an emergency loan on March 26, although he’s been returned to the Baby Pens and promptly recalled twice in that span. He played three games to close out last month, his first NHL stint of the season, going without a point and posting a -1 rating while averaging only 7:47 per game. He’s been a healthy scratch in four straight.

The 2019 first-round pick now returns to WBS, where he’s had his best season in the professional ranks, with 27 points (13 G, 14 A) in 36 games. It’s a nice rebound after being away from the organization for most of last season on personal leave for mental health reasons. The AHL Pens have clinched a playoff spot, unlike their big brothers, so he’ll get a chance to play meaningful games past mid-April if Pittsburgh can’t leapfrog the rival Capitals for the second wild-card spot in the East. He’s nearing completion of his entry-level contract and needs a new deal this offseason as a pending RFA.

Zohorna comes up to provide head coach Mike Sullivan with a more experienced option to slide into a depth role as they enter must-win territory in their final four games. The Pens picked up Zohorna on a one-year, two-way deal last summer after he split the 2022-23 season between the Flames, Maple Leafs, and both of their AHL affiliates. It’s his second stint with the organization – Pittsburgh brought him to North America in 2020 by inking the undrafted free agent to an ELC but lost him on waivers to Calgary at the beginning of last season.

He failed to crack the Pittsburgh roster out of camp but found himself back in the NHL in late October, shuffled between leagues almost daily before earning a more permanent recall on Nov. 2. He notched seven points (four goals, three assists) in 31 games in bottom-six minutes before landing back on the waiver wire in mid-January. He’s been on assignment to WBS since. The 6’6″ power winger has been great in the minors, posting 25 points in 29 games with a +2 rating. The pending UFA will now cycle into the bottom six minutes to close out the season and will look to earn an extension.

Penguins Call Up Forward Samuel Poulin

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The Pittsburgh Penguins have recalled forward Samuel Poulin from the AHL (Twitter link). This move reverses Poulin’s April 2nd assignment, bringing the winger back to Pittsburgh before he could return to the AHL lineup.

Poulin is continuing to find his footing this season, after missing all of November with a high-ankle sprain and most of February with a separate lower-body injury. He played in his first three NHL games of the season in late March, recording two penalty minutes, two shots on goal, and a -1. He’s been much more effective in the minors, boasting 13 goals and 27 points in 36 games. Poulin’s 2022-23 season came to a very early close, as he took a personal leave of absence from December to April, limiting his workload to just 15 AHL games and three NHL games.

Pittsburgh is plenty confident in Poulin, taking him in the first-round of the 2019 NHL Draft. But his string of absences has so far kept him from receiving consistent ice time. He’s had a healthy streak as of late and is scoring at the highest rate of his pro career, but if that can carry into the NHL level is yet to be seen. Poulin will likely battle with Jesse Puljujarvi for a spot on the team’s fourth-line. Puljujarvi has served in a very minimal role recently, averaging roughly seven minutes of ice time over the Penguins’ last four games. He’s recorded one assist in that stretch – but Pittsburgh will need much bigger of a spark, currently three points outside of the Eastern Conference’s second Wild Card.

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