Both players signed one-way contracts. Archibald's contract is a two-year deal that contains an average annual value of $675,000. Pouliot inked a one-year deal with an average annual value of $800,000.
Both players have contributed to Pittsburgh's back-to-back Stanley Cup championship runs. Archibald skated in four playoff games in 2017. One of Archibald's appearances this spring was in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final against Nashville, which means his name will be engraved on the Cup. Pouliot appeared in two clutch wins in the Washington series during the 2016 Cup run, and earned a day with the Stanley Cup that year. Archibald and Pouliot were also members of the "Black Aces" practice squad.
Pouliot, 23, has 67 NHL games under his belt with 14 points (2G-12A). He broke into the NHL in December 2014 and scored on the first shot of his NHL career. He finished the 2014-15 season with 34 games played, and seven points (2G-5A), earning him the Pens' Rookie of the Year award. He has seven assists in 33 games with Pittsburgh over the previous two seasons.
A 6-foot-0, 208-pound Estevan, Saskatchewan native, Pouliot has played three seasons for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League, accumulating 70 points (20G-50A) in 114 games. His combined 47 points (13G-34A) and plus-17 in 2014-15 and '15-16 earned him back-to-back AHL All-Star Game selections.
The eighth pick overall pick by Pittsburgh in the first round of the 2012 NHL Draft, Pouliot, played four seasons with the Portland Winterhawks of the Western Hockey League (WHL). The Winterhawks won the WHL championship in 2013 behind Pouliot's 20 points (4G-16A) in 21 playoff games. In 2013-14, he was named the CHL Defenseman of the Year, and recorded the most assists (27) and second-most points (32) in the WHL playoffs while serving as the alternate captain.
Archibald, a 24-year-old native of Regina, Saskatchewan, played 10 games at the NHL level this past season, registering three goals and a plus-4, after playing in one game in the 2015-16 season. The 5-foot-10, 176-pound forward had a memorable outing in his first NHL game this season on February 11, 2017 against the Arizona Coyotes, scoring two goals, including his first NHL goal to open the scoring. He also added a shorthanded tally in the third period.
Archibald, a sixth-round pick (174th overall) of the Penguins in 2011, spent most of the 2016-17 season with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in the American Hockey League, and put up a career-high 29 points (16G-13A) in 61 games played. He has improved his point total every year he has played in WBS.
Archibald came to WBS following a three-year college career at Nebraska-Omaha, where he put up 94 points (58G-36A) over 112 games in three seasons. Following his final season at Omaha (2013-14), Archibald was named NCHC Player of the Year and Forward of the Year, an NCAA First-Team All-American and a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award as the top player in college hockey. He also represented the United States at the 2012 World Junior Championship, appearing in six games and registering two assists.
