Benoit Brunet does not seem to be a fan of Ryan Poehling
If there is one player who has a position to win with the Canadiens, it is Ryan Poehling. The 22-year-old forward will be entering his third year in the pros, having played 28 games in his NHL career.
Despite a stellar debut when he scored a hat trick in his first game at the Bell Centre, Poehling has yet to show that he can become an established center in Montreal.
Since the start of training camp, Ryan Poehling hasn't seemed to be playing with any desperation to earn a spot with the big club, except in yesterday's game. Some even talk about a lack of effort from the number 25.
In an interview on 98.5, analyst and former Canadiens player Benoit Brunet spoke out about Poehling's place in the team's lineup right now.
"He needs to play quality minutes with the Rocket. The Canadiens have enough players on their team."
It's true to say that the Tricolore has plenty of depth on offense. However, with the departures of Phillip Danault and Jesperi Kotkaniemi, it looked like Poehling was going to be the one to inherit the third or fourth center role.
"Ryan Poehling doesn't start out strong in games. He doesn't come out with the knife between his teeth," Brunet said.
In the CH's recent two games in two nights, coach Dominique Ducharme didn't hesitate to send the American into the fray twice. In just over 17 minutes of play on average, Poehling failed to get on the score sheet. But, as Duchamre indicated yesterday, Poehling was good in the second duel.
In short, it seems that the Montreal organization will give Poehling as many opportunities as possible to prove that he deserves a position in the Bettman circuit. It's up to him to take it or not.
