"He could have [made the team]," Capuano said on Thursday. "He didn't have the best training camp, we talked to him and he wasn't assertive enough. He knows that. For him to be effective he has to play fast and this will be an opportunity now. We'll use him on the power play a bit if he does get in and see how his game is."
Pulock practiced on the Islanders' top power-play unit on Thursday, taking Leddy's place on the blue line. Whereas Leddy is primarily used for zone entries and as insurance against shorthanded breakaways - he can catch nearly anyone in the league with his speed - Pulock's raw power is a tantalizing prospect.
"When you play some top units in this league, they have a couple of different options and weapons, so you're not always focused on the one," Capuano said. "If he's out there, you have 91 on the half wall, now you have six up top or on a flank, so you try to open up a two-on-one. It gives us some options and it gives the opposition something that they have to take away."
Getting the shot off is a priority for Pulock, which also ties in to the assertiveness Capuano wants to see out of him.
"For me, it's just keep it simple and when I get a chance to shoot, let it go," Pulock said. "It's a weapon of mine and I have to use it.
