Amidst Defensive Injuries, Golden Knights Sign Derrick Pouliot

The Vegas Golden Knights have signed defenseman Derrick Pouliot to a one-year NHL contract. Pouliot has been a regular defenseman in the Henderson Silver Knights lineup in the AHL. The deal is likely worth league minimum at $750k.

This news comes as the Golden Knights have eleven players injured or unavailable on their current roster with five being defensemen. Nicolas Hague missed practice Thursday morning and will not be available against the Florida Panthers.

Hague, Alec Martinez, and Brayden McNabb are all injured for the Golden Knights. Ben Hutton is also in COVID-19 protocols and Daniil Miromanov is shaken up after he took a puck to the face against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

The Golden Knight’s current defensive corps contains Alex Pietrangelo, Shea Theodore, Zach Whitecloud, Dylan Coghlan, Brayden Pachal, and Derick Pouliot.

Unlike Miromanov and Pachal, Pouliot will not be making his NHL debut if he plays Thursday night. Pouliot has 202 games of NHL experience under his belt with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Vancouver Canucks, and St. Louis Blues.

He last played in the 2019-20 season in just two games with the Blues. The 8th overall pick from the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, Pouliot’s best season came with the Canucks in 2017-18 where he scored 22 points in 71 games.

Pouliot had high expectations coming into the league with the Penguins but he never truly panned out and had since been a fringe NHL’er ever since his time with the Canucks ended. Maybe this opportunity given to him by the Golden Knights can rejuvenate the 28-year olds career.

Get a taste of what Derrick Pouliot will bring to the ice next season 👇 pic.twitter.com/d5USS7uMLK

— Henderson Silver Knights (@HSKnights) August 4, 2021

Expect Pouliot to be thrown into the lineup Thursday night against the Panthers.

On a more positive note, it looks like Mattias Janmark and Brett Howden will return to the Golden Knights lineup against the Panthers.