While the Pittsburgh Penguins were unable to see the ping-pong balls bounce their way in the 2024 Draft Lottery (they had a very slight chance of hanging onto their pick), they do have two second-round picks in their asset chest to use. With the group of players that they both have currently on their NHL roster and in their pipeline, there are plenty of areas of need for general manager Kyle Dubas and the organization to target going into the 2024 NHL Entry Draft.
Top-4 Defenseman
While they do not pick until pick 44 of the draft, the Penguins could benefit from the fact that this year’s draft class is quite deep at the defenseman position. The group that they currently have is both a mix of aging stars (Kris Letang and Erik Karlsson) and middle-of-the-road players (Marcus Pettersson). In the pipeline, they do not necessarily have any defenseman who jumps off the page as someone who makes fans super excited. The hope was that Pierre-Oliver Joseph would be able to develop his game and become a strong two-way defenseman for the team after acquiring him in a trade with the now former Arizona Coyotes in 2019. But, he has not been able to take that next big jump, albeit being a solid player on the back end for the Penguins.
Prospect-wise, their top prospect is a defenseman, Owen Pickering. He is hopefully going to continue to blossom and improve his game, but he will need to get some help from fellow prospects or additions to the team by the time he makes his way to Pittsburgh full-time. So adding a defenseman who has the high-end potential to be a constant, everyday NHLer should be toward the top of the list for Dubas in the draft this year.
Playmakers Are Never a Bad Thing
Once again, touching on the Penguins’ aging core, the pipeline lacks players who can become playmakers at the NHL level. They do have a few younger players who have the potential to be strong offensively (Brayden Yager, Ville Koivunen), but having someone who can add some playmaking ability on the ice would go a long way toward the future of the Penguins organization and its success.
With the offensively gifted players in their system, and some who cracked the lineup at times this season, being able to add a player who can feed the puck and set up these types of players is key for the future. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are getting to the point in their careers where they will not be around but for maybe a few more seasons and will leave a void in the playmaking aspect of the game. Trade deadline acquisition, Michael Bunting, can be both a goal-scorer and playmaker but will also need some support around him with the youth that could be headed to Pittsburgh in the coming seasons.
Adding Extra Future Assets Could Be a Benefit
While every offseason is important for an organization, this one for Dubas and the Penguins could be crucial. After seeing Jake Guentzel leave town at the trade deadline, along with the loss of their first-round pick and missing the playoffs, the Penguins enter a critical point. There are a few players on the roster heading into next season who could end up being of interest to other teams and could help net the Penguins extra draft picks either in this year’s draft or in future drafts.
While having one of the league’s most bare farm systems, the Penguins could easily benefit from some added picks and assets going forward. Whether Dubas decides to make moves to do this and eventually package some of these picks for another player or even move up at some point in a draft (it could even be this year with having two second-round picks) or not, it is something that should be seriously considered.
The 2024 Draft Could End Up Being an Interesting One
Heading into the 2024 Draft, the Penguins are in an interesting spot. They are still a contending team but have a farm system that is not necessarily the strongest. Dubas may end up getting creative this offseason to either add for the future, continue to build around the core that he currently has, or even a mix of both.
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