Ryan Poehling's future with the Montreal Canadiens is now in doubt
When Ryan Poehling made his Habs debut in the final game of the 2018-2019 regular season, he scored a hat trick in a 6-5 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs.
We call that a successful debut. However, what followed was not as exciting in his case, as he had a few stints in the AHL with the Laval Rocket and finally made it with the big club this year.
But for how long?
As my colleague Christian Matte of Marqueur.com reports, the Habs' first-round pick in 2017 needs to give the team more if he wants to prove he can play on a regular basis in the NHL.
Marc-Antoine Godin of The Athletic says that one of Kent Hughes' priorities will be to find a second center to back up Nick Suzuki, and unfortunately Poehling doesn't fit that profile.
Poehling was out for a few weeks with an injury and has shown some good things since returning to the game. However, he has also been inconsistent in his production this season as he has 13 points so far, including 5 goals in 46 games.
Let's just say that this is far from a production worthy of a first round pick.
We still don't know where the Habs will select him in the next draft and what Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton's plans are for Poehling. But if he wants to prove that he belongs in Montreal, he will have to show some good things between now and the end of the season.
One thing is for sure, with the new guys coming in and with the years passing, Ryan Poehling's future in Montreal seems to be compromised (or at best, uncertain).
| POLL | ||
Does Poehling have a future with the Montreal Canadiens? | ||
| Yes 2nd line Center | 33 | 8.5 % |
| Yes 3rd or 4th line Center | 210 | 54 % |
| No, he will get traded | 146 | 37.5 % |
| List of polls | ||
