Sam Poulin suddenly leaves the Penguins as he was getting close to cracking NHL roster

Sam Poulin has been hoping to make a better impression this upcoming season with the Pittsburgh Penguins. It started off rough for the forward as he played wing, but then the Penguins shifted him to center for the second half of 2021-22. He scored 29 points in 41 games before cooling off in April. Overall, he had only 37 points in 72 games. In six playoff games, Poulin had four points, including three goals.

He wants more this time around.

However on Friday, Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan announced that Poulin had taken a leave of absence from the team. It was mentioned that the young forward was excused for a couple of days for personal family matters.

At first, not much was said on the reason why Poulin needed the time off. Since the news came out, chatter emerged on social media that his grandfather had sadly passed away. While nether the Penguins or Poulin have confirmed the news, this could certainly explain why the young man would need time off to spend with his family.

“I think it’s been my best camp and my three years here,” said Poulin before he left the following day. “So I’m pretty happy about the way I’m playing and how things are going. Hopefully, they can stay that way.”

While things aren’t staying that way with his absence, we wish for the best when it comes to Poulin, hoping he will feel better when the time comes to shift back to hockey.

For now, our thoughts are with him.