Just days after he was bought out by the Edmonton Oilers the Buffalo Sabres have added left-winger Benoît Pouliot, signing the 30-year-old to a one-year deal worth $1.15 million.
Last season, Pouliot appeared in 67 regular season games, scoring eight goals and adding six assists. In 13 playoff games with the Oilers, Pouliot failed to register any points.
Like the Benoit Pouliot signing. He's cheap and worth taking a shot on. Low-risk move that makes a lot of sense #Sabres @WKBW
— Matthew Bové (@Matt_Bove) July 1, 2017
Bove's take:
This move won't knock your socks off, but it's a deal that comes with very little risk.
Pouliot clearly struggled last season, at least statistically compared to his last few seasons.
2014-2015 -- 19G, 15A, 34 points (58 games).
2015-2016 -- 14G, 22A, 36 points (55 games)
2016-2017 -- 8G, 6A, 14 points (67 games)
That's why he was bought out by the Oilers but at least in my opinion, he's worth a one-year deal worth $1.15 million. It's pretty simple -- if he's not very good his salary won't hurt the Sabres long term. If he's somewhere between the player he was last year and the player he was in 2015, he'll be worth more than what he's getting paid.
Personally, I thought there were other options that made more sense for the Sabres (*cough Thomas Vanek cough*), but it's hard to knock a depth move with potential upside.
Don't expect Pouliot to play a big role, he'll likely be a third or fourth line player who will also play on the penalty kill. Not a flashy move but the positives outweigh the negatives.
