[Cali Panthers Fan]

^A couple things:

1) Yes, if you can get the puck out you defend less. You have to get the puck away from the other guy first. Not sure Poirier can do that consistently.
2) Yes, skating can help you recover, but guys who can play positionally well and not skate exceptionally will always be better defenders. Of course, you need some wheels to get in the right position to begin with too, but NHL forwards feast on guys who don't think the game well.

I do think the Kylington comparison is fair, but you also said that he came MILES from where he was drafted, and even then, he's still struggling to see the NHL lineup regularly. I'm not saying he still can't improve, but there might be a limit on how much better he gets.

Same for Poirier. Due to his current insufficiencies, he has a ton to add to his game before he could even be considered for the NHL. That doesn't bode well for him, because as we've seen with Kylington, even a ton of progress doesn't guarantee NHL high end success.

I suspect that a lot of his offensive game will have to be sacrificed in order to play passable NHL defense, not unlike Kylington. I like the raw talent and tools, but I'd rather have a guy who thinks the game well and has better than average talent.