Flyers sign former first-rounder Derrick Pouliot to one-year, $700K deal

The Philadelphia Flyers have added some defensive depth to their system, announcing the signing of defenseman Derrick Pouliot to a one-year, two-way contract worth $700K.

Pouliot, 26, is a cautionary draft story for those who believe their top-10 picks are destined to be impact players at the NHL level. In 2012, after Alex Galchenyuk was taken third overall by the Montreal Canadiens, seven consecutive defensemen were taken. All of them came with huge potential and huge expectations, and many — Morgan Rielly, Hampus Lindholm, Matt Dumba, and Jacob Trouba specifically — lived up to them. Pouliot, unfortunately, did not.

Picked eighth overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins, Pouliot was a high-flying defenseman from the Portland Winterhawks of the WHL. He had just scored 76 points in 94 games, won gold with the Canadian U18 team and was named to the CHL Top Prospects Game. He would make it to the Memorial Cup the following season and win the CHL Defenseman of the Year Award in 2013-14. Things would take a sharp downturn when he hit the professional ranks, however, with Pouliot struggling as a young player for the Penguins.

While he did rebound some with the Vancouver Canucks, Pouliot still has just 202 NHL games under his belt and has registered just 48 points. He spent last season in the minor leagues with the San Antonio Rampage, playing just two games for the St. Louis Blues.

Still, as a depth defenseman for the Flyers, you could have done worse. The team won’t be expecting him to log regular minutes on the NHL blue line, instead only recalling him when there is an injury. He can help the Lehigh Valley Phantoms whenever the AHL season gets underway, or be another layer of NHL experience behind their regular lineup.