LAS VEGAS — For nearly four years, the Penguins have attempted to balance the challenge of remaining competitive in the short term while replenishing a prospect pool that has been depleted due to the franchise’s long-standing “win now” philosophy.
Given that the team has missed the playoffs for the past two years and hasn’t won a playoff series since 2018, the strategy’s immediate success is questionable. However, their efforts to gather viable NHL prospects have started to show some progress, albeit slowly.
Beginning with former general manager Ron Hextall and continuing under the current president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas, the Penguins have gradually rebuilt their future assets. This weekend’s NHL Draft will be part of that ongoing process, despite not having a first-round pick. In August, the Penguins traded their 14th overall pick to the San Jose Sharks to acquire All-Star defenseman Erik Karlsson. The Sharks later traded that pick to the Buffalo Sabres.
Realizing that immediate success was unlikely last season, the Penguins traded All-Star forward Jake Guentzel to the Carolina Hurricanes for a package that included the 46th overall pick, originally owned by the Philadelphia Flyers. The Penguins now have six picks this weekend: No. 44 and No. 46 in the second round, No. 111 in the fourth round, No. 175 in the sixth round, and No. 207 and No. 223 in the seventh round, the latter acquired from the Rangers.
While none of these picks are expected to impact the team soon, they can complement prospects like goaltender Joel Blomqvist (second round, 2020), defenseman Owen Pickering (first round, 2022), and forward Brayden Yager (first round, 2023).
“There’s often a misconception that only first-rounders or high picks matter in building a prospect pool,” Penguins assistant general manager Jason Spezza said in an interview with The Hockey News in January. “We focus on development with the players we have and those we draft, emphasizing a long-term approach to nurturing talent.”
Beyond their high picks, the Penguins have promising later-round selections like defensemen Isaac Belliveau (fifth round, 2021), Emil Pieniniemi (third round, 2023), and goaltender Sergei Murashov (fourth round, 2022). They also have acquired intriguing prospects through trades and free agency, such as forwards Ville Koivunen and Vasili Ponomarev (from the Guentzel trade) and Jack St. Ivany (an unrestricted free agent signing in 2022), who could compete for spots on the season-opening roster.
This approach is similar to what Dubas and Spezza implemented with the Toronto Maple Leafs. “In Toronto, we integrated players like Matthew Knies, Fraser Minten, and Nick Robertson, who weren’t first-round picks but still brought youth to the team,” Spezza said. “We aim to develop all our players, not just first-rounders, into good players.”
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