On Monday, September 21, the Chicago Blackhawks announced a notable roster move involving a veteran player.
As is the case with the 31 other NHL teams right now, the Blackhawks are gearing up for the 2026-27 season, and this go around, the Blackhawks have real expectations of making the NHL playoffs after missing out the last handful of seasons.
As for the roster move, it involves cutting ties with a 32-year-old player.
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Chicago Blackhawks Cut Ties with Derrick Pouliot
According to NHL’s transactions page (PuckPedia.com), 32-year-old skater Derrick Pouliot has been placed on waivers.
“Pouliot was placed on waivers by the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports.”
CBSSports.com’s RotoWire staff wrote (about Pouliot):
“Pouliot was traded to Chicago from the Rangers in March, and he recorded six assists and a minus-3 rating across 16 appearances with AHL Rockford. After spending the start of training camp with the Blackhawks, he’ll land on waivers and will likely report back to the IceHogs if he clears.”
Any NHL team can claim him off waivers if they please, but as the report indicated, he could end up returning to the Blackhawks’ AHL team.
Derrick Pouliot has spent a day with the Stanley Cup after helping (in a small part) the Pittsburgh Penguins win in 2016.
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Taking a Quick Look at Pouliot’s Career
Derrick Pouliot was drafted by the Penguins in the first round of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft.
He made his MLB debut with the Pens in 2014.
Since the 2021-22 season, however, Pouliot has barely been on the ice. He’s also played for seven different NHL squads in his nine-year career.
Across 226 total games played in his career, Pouliot has totaled 54 points (8 goals, 46 assists).
He last played for the Dallas Stars in the 2023-24 season, so it’s been a lengthy hiatus for the former Cup holder.
Chicago Blackhawks Cut Ties with Stanley Cup Champion