Wednesday, April 3, 2013

A New Face In The State Of Hockey: Jason Pominville

Jason Pominville
Right Wing
6'0"
185 lbs
Shoots: Right
Born: November 30, 1982
Birthplace: Repentigny, Quebec, Canada

Today, just prior to the 2 PM deadline, the Minnesota Wild acquired right winger Jason Pominville from the Buffalo Sabres. Pominville was a Buffalo Sabre his entire career since coming into the league in 2005-06 (He played one game in 2003-2004, so lets be real, he came into the league in 05-06).

Since his arrival in the NHL, Pominville has been an offensive force, scoring 20+ goals in every one of his seasons in the NHL, with the exception of his rookie year (Scored 18 goals in 57 games). He has also put up a minimum of 57 points a season (With the exception of his rookie year), while posting a career high of 80 (27-53-80) in 2007-08. His right handed shot should fit in on the Wild's top power play unit just fine (Sorry Brodziak!).


But there is much more to Pominville's game than his offense. Pominville has excelled at both ends of the ice, making himself one of the best two way wingers in the league. His work ethic rivals those of new linemates Koivu and Parise, and he has been a staple on the Sabres PK. 


Also keep in mind he has been the Sabres captain for the past two seasons, and was the team's captain for a month back in 2008 (It was a system similar to Jacques Lemaire's monthly captain thing). So the Wild's new top line (Parise-Koivu-Pominville) consists of three captains.

Pominville is under contract for this year and next year at $5.3 million each year, then will become an unrestricted free agent.

The price to get Pominville here may have been steep, but Chuck Fletcher obviously felt he could better help this team now as the Wild prepare to make a playoff run for the first time since 2008. He pulled the trigger to add the dynamic Pominville, to an already dynamic team. The move clearly makes the Wild a bigger force in the West, putting them right up there with Chicago and Anaheim.

Beware Western Conference, the Wild are serious contenders now. And you can thank that to the acquisition of Jason Pominville today.

Do yourself a favor and mute the audio on this video

Welcome to the Team of 18,001 Jason Pominville!


Follow Giles on Twitter @gilesferrell

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