We return to the infamous 2012 draft with the 8th overall pick by the Pittsburgh Penguins, defenseman Derrick Pouliot. He was ranked 12 by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau but was picked before other defensemen due to his offensive ability; despite a bigger flaw being his defensive ability. In his draft year, he had 59 points in all 72 games for the Portland Winterhawks of the WHL and got 17 points in 22 playoff games. He finished his junior career with 205 points in 247 games with a (+/-) 102. He started his professional career with the AHL affiliate, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, to begin the 2014-2015 season but due to several injuries on the pro roster, Pouliot ended up splitting his first professional season between the NHL and minors. He had 24 points in 31 games for the AHL squad and 7 points in 34 games for the Penguins. This trend of splitting the season between the NHL and minors continued for the next two seasons, playing less and less NHL games over time.
Pouliot was trad...