2025 NHL Draft

[Puck-Lurker]

Paths to #6:

- Penguins OTL + Sabres W
- Penguins L (regulation) + Sabres W
- Penguins L (regulation) + Sabres OTL

Ducks result doesn't matter for getting sixth.

No path to 6. sharks, blackhawks, preds, bruins, kraken, and flyers all are guaranteed to be worse than the Pens. flyers could tie in points, but they get 6 for RWs.

You are correct. Had a brain fart. Should've been #7 of course.

[Pruezy11881]

The Athletic updated their draft ranking tiers today, ranking their top 32. They've expanded the 3rd tier a bit
-Tier1 - NHL All-Star
-Tier2 - Bubble All-Star and top of the lineup player
-Tier3 - Top of the lineup player
-Tier4 - Bubble top of lineup; middle of the lineup player
-Tier5 - Middle of the lineup player

Schaefer is the only player in Tier1
They have Misa, Desnoyers, Hagens, and Martone in Tier2
For Tier3, they have Frondell, O'Brien, Eklund, McQueen, Aitcheson, Smith
For Tier4, they have Nesbit, Mrtka, Bear, Carbonneau, Ravensbergen, Reid, Prokhorov, Lakovic
For Tier5 Martin, Spence, Reschny, Cootes, Gastron, Zonnon, Hensler, Brzustewicz, West, Potter, Boumedienne, Fiddler, Kindel

They aren't as high on Mrtka, Martin, and Kindel as I have seen other sites. Aitcheson and Smith being in that 3rd tier may help us. My target is still Desnoyers or Frondell, but I'm warming up to O'Brien as well.

If that list is accurate, the Penguins should be able to get a top of the lineup player at the very least. Since we didn't see a 1st round C in the group, having the chance to get Desnoyers, Frondell, O'Brien, McQueen is pretty good.

If the Penguins get the Rangers pick, having O'Brien and Aitcheson as the worse case scenario will be a pretty nice 1st round. Maybe Eklund over Aitcheson, but I'd rather C/D over a winger. Just think those are biggest organizational needs. Though Center is the biggest need and if they can get Frondell/Desnoyer and O'Brien/McQueen how great would that be towards getting the next Crosby/Malkin/Staal?

I think that's a decent list reflecting where the stand right now.

In some kind of best-case scenario, excluding the Schaefer sweepstakes and assuming NYR gives up their pick, I'd have drafted Desnoyers with #7 and Aitcheson at #11.

I don't think Desnoyers will be available when we select, which is probably #8. Given scouting and interest, I imagine it'll be Frondell. Not sure Aitcheson is available by the time we get to pick with NYR's pick (assuming we have it), but I'd go with him, unless Smith is still available.

I'd love it if Frondell was there for the Pens to select, but with his recovery from injury and playing back to form, he may have gotten himself back into top 5 selection category. Unfortunately, I'm not confident either will be there for Pitt, unless a team goes off the board.

[Daniel]

The Athletic updated their draft ranking tiers today, ranking their top 32. They've expanded the 3rd tier a bit
-Tier1 - NHL All-Star
-Tier2 - Bubble All-Star and top of the lineup player
-Tier3 - Top of the lineup player
-Tier4 - Bubble top of lineup; middle of the lineup player
-Tier5 - Middle of the lineup player

Schaefer is the only player in Tier1
They have Misa, Desnoyers, Hagens, and Martone in Tier2
For Tier3, they have Frondell, O'Brien, Eklund, McQueen, Aitcheson, Smith
For Tier4, they have Nesbit, Mrtka, Bear, Carbonneau, Ravensbergen, Reid, Prokhorov, Lakovic
For Tier5 Martin, Spence, Reschny, Cootes, Gastron, Zonnon, Hensler, Brzustewicz, West, Potter, Boumedienne, Fiddler, Kindel

They aren't as high on Mrtka, Martin, and Kindel as I have seen other sites. Aitcheson and Smith being in that 3rd tier may help us. My target is still Desnoyers or Frondell, but I'm warming up to O'Brien as well.

If that list is accurate, the Penguins should be able to get a top of the lineup player at the very least. Since we didn't see a 1st round C in the group, having the chance to get Desnoyers, Frondell, O'Brien, McQueen is pretty good.

If the Penguins get the Rangers pick, having O'Brien and Aitcheson as the worse case scenario will be a pretty nice 1st round. Maybe Eklund over Aitcheson, but I'd rather C/D over a winger. Just think those are biggest organizational needs. Though Center is the biggest need and if they can get Frondell/Desnoyer and O'Brien/McQueen how great would that be towards getting the next Crosby/Malkin/Staal?

I think that's a decent list reflecting where the stand right now.

In some kind of best-case scenario, excluding the Schaefer sweepstakes and assuming NYR gives up their pick, I'd have drafted Desnoyers with #7 and Aitcheson at #11.

I don't think Desnoyers will be available when we select, which is probably #8. Given scouting and interest, I imagine it'll be Frondell. Not sure Aitcheson is available by the time we get to pick with NYR's pick (assuming we have it), but I'd go with him, unless Smith is still available.

The real question is who what position should the 2nd pick be? First pick needs to be the best center available, unless the best winger/defensemen is far ahead of the winger (ie if Schaefer somehow falls).

The Penguins actually have some pretty good defensive prospects, maybe even a future top pairing (Brunicke/Pickering). If Eklund or another game breaking forward falls to the Rangers pick, do you take them over a defensemen?

To me the top needs are game breaking center and game breaking forward.

[FLPensFan]

The Athletic updated their draft ranking tiers today, ranking their top 32. They've expanded the 3rd tier a bit
-Tier1 - NHL All-Star
-Tier2 - Bubble All-Star and top of the lineup player
-Tier3 - Top of the lineup player
-Tier4 - Bubble top of lineup; middle of the lineup player
-Tier5 - Middle of the lineup player

Schaefer is the only player in Tier1
They have Misa, Desnoyers, Hagens, and Martone in Tier2
For Tier3, they have Frondell, O'Brien, Eklund, McQueen, Aitcheson, Smith
For Tier4, they have Nesbit, Mrtka, Bear, Carbonneau, Ravensbergen, Reid, Prokhorov, Lakovic
For Tier5 Martin, Spence, Reschny, Cootes, Gastron, Zonnon, Hensler, Brzustewicz, West, Potter, Boumedienne, Fiddler, Kindel

They aren't as high on Mrtka, Martin, and Kindel as I have seen other sites. Aitcheson and Smith being in that 3rd tier may help us. My target is still Desnoyers or Frondell, but I'm warming up to O'Brien as well.

If that list is accurate, the Penguins should be able to get a top of the lineup player at the very least. Since we didn't see a 1st round C in the group, having the chance to get Desnoyers, Frondell, O'Brien, McQueen is pretty good.

If the Penguins get the Rangers pick, having O'Brien and Aitcheson as the worse case scenario will be a pretty nice 1st round. Maybe Eklund over Aitcheson, but I'd rather C/D over a winger. Just think those are biggest organizational needs. Though Center is the biggest need and if they can get Frondell/Desnoyer and O'Brien/McQueen how great would that be towards getting the next Crosby/Malkin/Staal?

The only caution on centers is...you never know if teams think they can be centers at the NHL level. Misa was playing a good amount of center at one point, but he's mainly been a LW for several months now with Saginaw. McQueen was playing center, but he's been at LW before he missed the last playoff game with soreness. That switch might have been just taking some load off his back (faceoffs) while coming back from injury.

If you told me I could pick any one player, it would be between Schaefer and Misa for me.
If you told me Schaefer, Misa, Hagens, and Martone are off the board....it's a toss up between Frondell and Desnoyers for me, and O'Brien is gaining fast.

If we get the Rangers pick this year, I'd still rather draft a Frondell/Desnoyers/O'Brien, and use the Rangers pick in a package to get either a young center for today (McTavish or Shane Wright) or a young LD (Byram, Mintyukov). That way, you have some help for the future and some help for the next 2 seasons with Crosby.

And while I liked Pinto and Klevens plus for Karlsson with retention, Karlsson (3.5M retained) to ANA plus that Rangers 1st for McTavish, Mintyukov and a 2026 2nd would be an awful nice deal, too. The question becomes, though...is Letang done?

[Cow_Master66]

The Athletic updated their draft ranking tiers today, ranking their top 32. They've expanded the 3rd tier a bit
-Tier1 - NHL All-Star
-Tier2 - Bubble All-Star and top of the lineup player
-Tier3 - Top of the lineup player
-Tier4 - Bubble top of lineup; middle of the lineup player
-Tier5 - Middle of the lineup player

Schaefer is the only player in Tier1
They have Misa, Desnoyers, Hagens, and Martone in Tier2
For Tier3, they have Frondell, O'Brien, Eklund, McQueen, Aitcheson, Smith
For Tier4, they have Nesbit, Mrtka, Bear, Carbonneau, Ravensbergen, Reid, Prokhorov, Lakovic
For Tier5 Martin, Spence, Reschny, Cootes, Gastron, Zonnon, Hensler, Brzustewicz, West, Potter, Boumedienne, Fiddler, Kindel

They aren't as high on Mrtka, Martin, and Kindel as I have seen other sites. Aitcheson and Smith being in that 3rd tier may help us. My target is still Desnoyers or Frondell, but I'm warming up to O'Brien as well.

If that list is accurate, the Penguins should be able to get a top of the lineup player at the very least. Since we didn't see a 1st round C in the group, having the chance to get Desnoyers, Frondell, O'Brien, McQueen is pretty good.

If the Penguins get the Rangers pick, having O'Brien and Aitcheson as the worse case scenario will be a pretty nice 1st round. Maybe Eklund over Aitcheson, but I'd rather C/D over a winger. Just think those are biggest organizational needs. Though Center is the biggest need and if they can get Frondell/Desnoyer and O'Brien/McQueen how great would that be towards getting the next Crosby/Malkin/Staal?

I think that's a decent list reflecting where the stand right now.

In some kind of best-case scenario, excluding the Schaefer sweepstakes and assuming NYR gives up their pick, I'd have drafted Desnoyers with #7 and Aitcheson at #11.

I don't think Desnoyers will be available when we select, which is probably #8. Given scouting and interest, I imagine it'll be Frondell. Not sure Aitcheson is available by the time we get to pick with NYR's pick (assuming we have it), but I'd go with him, unless Smith is still available.

The real question is who what position should the 2nd pick be? First pick needs to be the best center available, unless the best winger/defensemen is far ahead of the winger (ie if Schaefer somehow falls).

The Penguins actually have some pretty good defensive prospects, maybe even a future top pairing (Brunicke/Pickering). If Eklund or another game breaking forward falls to the Rangers pick, do you take them over a defensemen?

To me the top needs are game breaking center and game breaking forward.

They shouldn’t even be looking at position. Take the best player available regardless of position because they need everything.

[Daniel]

The Athletic updated their draft ranking tiers today, ranking their top 32. They've expanded the 3rd tier a bit
-Tier1 - NHL All-Star
-Tier2 - Bubble All-Star and top of the lineup player
-Tier3 - Top of the lineup player
-Tier4 - Bubble top of lineup; middle of the lineup player
-Tier5 - Middle of the lineup player

Schaefer is the only player in Tier1
They have Misa, Desnoyers, Hagens, and Martone in Tier2
For Tier3, they have Frondell, O'Brien, Eklund, McQueen, Aitcheson, Smith
For Tier4, they have Nesbit, Mrtka, Bear, Carbonneau, Ravensbergen, Reid, Prokhorov, Lakovic
For Tier5 Martin, Spence, Reschny, Cootes, Gastron, Zonnon, Hensler, Brzustewicz, West, Potter, Boumedienne, Fiddler, Kindel

They aren't as high on Mrtka, Martin, and Kindel as I have seen other sites. Aitcheson and Smith being in that 3rd tier may help us. My target is still Desnoyers or Frondell, but I'm warming up to O'Brien as well.

If that list is accurate, the Penguins should be able to get a top of the lineup player at the very least. Since we didn't see a 1st round C in the group, having the chance to get Desnoyers, Frondell, O'Brien, McQueen is pretty good.

If the Penguins get the Rangers pick, having O'Brien and Aitcheson as the worse case scenario will be a pretty nice 1st round. Maybe Eklund over Aitcheson, but I'd rather C/D over a winger. Just think those are biggest organizational needs. Though Center is the biggest need and if they can get Frondell/Desnoyer and O'Brien/McQueen how great would that be towards getting the next Crosby/Malkin/Staal?

I think that's a decent list reflecting where the stand right now.

In some kind of best-case scenario, excluding the Schaefer sweepstakes and assuming NYR gives up their pick, I'd have drafted Desnoyers with #7 and Aitcheson at #11.

I don't think Desnoyers will be available when we select, which is probably #8. Given scouting and interest, I imagine it'll be Frondell. Not sure Aitcheson is available by the time we get to pick with NYR's pick (assuming we have it), but I'd go with him, unless Smith is still available.

The real question is who what position should the 2nd pick be? First pick needs to be the best center available, unless the best winger/defensemen is far ahead of the winger (ie if Schaefer somehow falls).

The Penguins actually have some pretty good defensive prospects, maybe even a future top pairing (Brunicke/Pickering). If Eklund or another game breaking forward falls to the Rangers pick, do you take them over a defensemen?

To me the top needs are game breaking center and game breaking forward.

They shouldn’t even be looking at position. Take the best player available regardless of position because they need everything.

I agree for after the 1st round, but I think top 10 can be best for position. The reason being is they should be closer to NHL ready and getting a 1st/2nd line center is easier to get in the top 10, or at least more easily projectable.

[FLPensFan]

The Athletic updated their draft ranking tiers today, ranking their top 32. They've expanded the 3rd tier a bit
-Tier1 - NHL All-Star
-Tier2 - Bubble All-Star and top of the lineup player
-Tier3 - Top of the lineup player
-Tier4 - Bubble top of lineup; middle of the lineup player
-Tier5 - Middle of the lineup player

Schaefer is the only player in Tier1
They have Misa, Desnoyers, Hagens, and Martone in Tier2
For Tier3, they have Frondell, O'Brien, Eklund, McQueen, Aitcheson, Smith
For Tier4, they have Nesbit, Mrtka, Bear, Carbonneau, Ravensbergen, Reid, Prokhorov, Lakovic
For Tier5 Martin, Spence, Reschny, Cootes, Gastron, Zonnon, Hensler, Brzustewicz, West, Potter, Boumedienne, Fiddler, Kindel

They aren't as high on Mrtka, Martin, and Kindel as I have seen other sites. Aitcheson and Smith being in that 3rd tier may help us. My target is still Desnoyers or Frondell, but I'm warming up to O'Brien as well.

If that list is accurate, the Penguins should be able to get a top of the lineup player at the very least. Since we didn't see a 1st round C in the group, having the chance to get Desnoyers, Frondell, O'Brien, McQueen is pretty good.

If the Penguins get the Rangers pick, having O'Brien and Aitcheson as the worse case scenario will be a pretty nice 1st round. Maybe Eklund over Aitcheson, but I'd rather C/D over a winger. Just think those are biggest organizational needs. Though Center is the biggest need and if they can get Frondell/Desnoyer and O'Brien/McQueen how great would that be towards getting the next Crosby/Malkin/Staal?

I think that's a decent list reflecting where the stand right now.

In some kind of best-case scenario, excluding the Schaefer sweepstakes and assuming NYR gives up their pick, I'd have drafted Desnoyers with #7 and Aitcheson at #11.

I don't think Desnoyers will be available when we select, which is probably #8. Given scouting and interest, I imagine it'll be Frondell. Not sure Aitcheson is available by the time we get to pick with NYR's pick (assuming we have it), but I'd go with him, unless Smith is still available.

The real question is who what position should the 2nd pick be? First pick needs to be the best center available, unless the best winger/defensemen is far ahead of the winger (ie if Schaefer somehow falls).

The Penguins actually have some pretty good defensive prospects, maybe even a future top pairing (Brunicke/Pickering). If Eklund or another game breaking forward falls to the Rangers pick, do you take them over a defensemen?

To me the top needs are game breaking center and game breaking forward.

They shouldn’t even be looking at position. Take the best player available regardless of position because they need everything.

Top 6 centers and top pairing d-men are the hardest to acquire. Everything else can be acquired via trade or free agency.

[DelPen]

Curious if the Rags give us the as it stands today the #11 pick or roll the dice that this was a fluke and they will be much better next year?

Unless by some miracle all three teams behind them win the bump them back I would bet they use this years pick but based on what I have seen they have a lot of issues behind the scenes that won’t be solved without a total overhaul of management and coaches so they could be even worse next year.

[FLPensFan]

Curious if the Rags give us the as it stands today the #11 pick or roll the dice that this was a fluke and they will be much better next year?

Unless by some miracle all three teams behind them win the bump them back I would bet they use this years pick but based on what I have seen they have a lot of issues behind the scenes that won’t be solved without a total overhaul of management and coaches so they could be even worse next year.

I get the part where people say they should be better and hanging onto next year's pick may be a slap to the current team. I would tend to agree with that. But, also as you said:

--There are rumors of Laviolette being on the outs.
--There are rumors of Drury being on the hot seat.
--A few young players recently said it was a struggle to get playing time over the vets.
--They dumped Trouba.
--Zibanejad and Kreider look to be slowing down.

They definitely have some issues, and I could see it being a toss up between keeping or giving us 2025 pick.

[FLPensFan]

17 points in 8 playoff games leads all playoff QMJHL scorers....me wants!!!!

[Daniel]

Curious if the Rags give us the as it stands today the #11 pick or roll the dice that this was a fluke and they will be much better next year?

Unless by some miracle all three teams behind them win the bump them back I would bet they use this years pick but based on what I have seen they have a lot of issues behind the scenes that won’t be solved without a total overhaul of management and coaches so they could be even worse next year.

I get the part where people say they should be better and hanging onto next year's pick may be a slap to the current team. I would tend to agree with that. But, also as you said:

--There are rumors of Laviolette being on the outs.
--There are rumors of Drury being on the hot seat.
--A few young players recently said it was a struggle to get playing time over the vets.
--They dumped Trouba.
--Zibanejad and Kreider look to be slowing down.

They definitely have some issues, and I could see it being a toss up between keeping or giving us 2025 pick.

I think the only reason they give up the pick is the presumed depth of the 2026 draft.

Not to mention if they're close next year, they can use the 1st round pick for a playoff run rental. I have a feeling that might be more of a lure to give the Penguins this years 1st round than anything else. Easier to trade a 2026 1st round pick than a 2027 1st round pick during next winters trading deadline.

[FLPensFan]

Curious if the Rags give us the as it stands today the #11 pick or roll the dice that this was a fluke and they will be much better next year?

Unless by some miracle all three teams behind them win the bump them back I would bet they use this years pick but based on what I have seen they have a lot of issues behind the scenes that won’t be solved without a total overhaul of management and coaches so they could be even worse next year.

I get the part where people say they should be better and hanging onto next year's pick may be a slap to the current team. I would tend to agree with that. But, also as you said:

--There are rumors of Laviolette being on the outs.
--There are rumors of Drury being on the hot seat.
--A few young players recently said it was a struggle to get playing time over the vets.
--They dumped Trouba.
--Zibanejad and Kreider look to be slowing down.

They definitely have some issues, and I could see it being a toss up between keeping or giving us 2025 pick.

I think the only reason they give up the pick is the presumed depth of the 2026 draft.

Not to mention if they're close next year, they can use the 1st round pick for a playoff run rental. I have a feeling that might be more of a lure to give the Penguins this years 1st round than anything else. Easier to trade a 2026 1st round pick than a 2027 1st round pick during next winters trading deadline.

Excellent point.

[Victor]

Curious if the Rags give us the as it stands today the #11 pick or roll the dice that this was a fluke and they will be much better next year?

Unless by some miracle all three teams behind them win the bump them back I would bet they use this years pick but based on what I have seen they have a lot of issues behind the scenes that won’t be solved without a total overhaul of management and coaches so they could be even worse next year.

I get the part where people say they should be better and hanging onto next year's pick may be a slap to the current team. I would tend to agree with that. But, also as you said:

--There are rumors of Laviolette being on the outs.
--There are rumors of Drury being on the hot seat.
--A few young players recently said it was a struggle to get playing time over the vets.
--They dumped Trouba.
--Zibanejad and Kreider look to be slowing down.

They definitely have some issues, and I could see it being a toss up between keeping or giving us 2025 pick.

I think the only reason they give up the pick is the presumed depth of the 2026 draft.

Not to mention if they're close next year, they can use the 1st round pick for a playoff run rental. I have a feeling that might be more of a lure to give the Penguins this years 1st round than anything else. Easier to trade a 2026 1st round pick than a 2027 1st round pick during next winters trading deadline.

It's really a fine line for them. Panarin has only one more year there. Kreider has two. Zibanejad, Miller, Trocheck, Lafrenière are signed longer. Except for Laf, they're all in the 31-33 age range. That's their core. They have young players as well. Berard, Perreault, Othmann should get NHL time next season. Cuylle scored 20 goals this season. He's only 23.

Fox is their #1D. He had 3 consecutive seasons with 70+ points before having having 61 this season (so far). The other are all defense-first guys: Miller, Borgen, Soucy, Vaakanainen (and so was Trouba). Ruhwedel in the AHL too.

They shouldn't be this bad this season. They've taken the Presidents' Trophy curse to a whole new level... even though it's easy to point out that they relied too much on goaltending and special teams to be a top team. Their 5v5 play was meh when they were considered a contender. Special teams and goaltending fell apart this season.

Their PP is 27th this season. They were 3rd last season, 7th the season before and 4th the year before that.

Shesterkin SV% is .903 this season. He was .913 last season and .916 the season before. He had a .935 SV% the year he won the Vezina. He never had a year as bad as this one, statistically.

Their roster is very similar to what it was last season and they were the best team during the regular season. Drury can put it all on coaching if he's still their GM after the draft lottery. The play on the ice, the outcome, comments coming from different young players etc. make it very hard for Laviolette to come back.

Do they double down their roster will pick up their play next season with a new head coach? Or do they have Vancouver-like issues that might jeopardise another season along the way?

[Daniel]

Curious if the Rags give us the as it stands today the #11 pick or roll the dice that this was a fluke and they will be much better next year?

Unless by some miracle all three teams behind them win the bump them back I would bet they use this years pick but based on what I have seen they have a lot of issues behind the scenes that won’t be solved without a total overhaul of management and coaches so they could be even worse next year.

I get the part where people say they should be better and hanging onto next year's pick may be a slap to the current team. I would tend to agree with that. But, also as you said:

--There are rumors of Laviolette being on the outs.
--There are rumors of Drury being on the hot seat.
--A few young players recently said it was a struggle to get playing time over the vets.
--They dumped Trouba.
--Zibanejad and Kreider look to be slowing down.

They definitely have some issues, and I could see it being a toss up between keeping or giving us 2025 pick.

I think the only reason they give up the pick is the presumed depth of the 2026 draft.

Not to mention if they're close next year, they can use the 1st round pick for a playoff run rental. I have a feeling that might be more of a lure to give the Penguins this years 1st round than anything else. Easier to trade a 2026 1st round pick than a 2027 1st round pick during next winters trading deadline.

It's really a fine line for them. Panarin has only one more year there. Kreider has two. Zibanejad, Miller, Trocheck, Lafrenière are signed longer. Except for Laf, they're all in the 31-33 age range. That's their core. They have young players as well. Berard, Perreault, Othmann should get NHL time next season. Cuylle scored 20 goals this season. He's only 23.

Fox is their #1D. He had 3 consecutive seasons with 70+ points before having having 61 this season (so far). The other are all defense-first guys: Miller, Borgen, Soucy, Vaakanainen (and so was Trouba). Ruhwedel in the AHL too.

They shouldn't be this bad this season. They've taken the Presidents' Trophy curse to a whole new level... even though it's easy to point out that they relied too much on goaltending and special teams to be a top team. Their 5v5 play was meh when they were considered a contender. Special teams and goaltending fell apart this season.

Their PP is 27th this season. They were 3rd last season, 7th the season before and 4th the year before that.

Shesterkin SV% is .903 this season. He was .913 last season and .916 the season before. He had a .935 SV% the year he won the Vezina. He never had a year as bad as this one, statistically.

Their roster is very similar to what it was last season and they were the best team during the regular season. Drury can put it all on coaching if he's still their GM after the draft lottery. The play on the ice, the outcome, comments coming from different young players etc. make it very hard for Laviolette to come back.

Do they double down their roster will pick up their play next season with a new head coach? Or do they have Vancouver-like issues that might jeopardise another season along the way?

I think they do and the 2026 pick becomes pretty valuable about next January. Granted they could give the Penguins the 2026 pick and trade the 2025 pick, offseason trades aren't as pressing as deadline trades.

[lemieuxReturns]

Curious if the Rags give us the as it stands today the #11 pick or roll the dice that this was a fluke and they will be much better next year?

Unless by some miracle all three teams behind them win the bump them back I would bet they use this years pick but based on what I have seen they have a lot of issues behind the scenes that won’t be solved without a total overhaul of management and coaches so they could be even worse next year.

I get the part where people say they should be better and hanging onto next year's pick may be a slap to the current team. I would tend to agree with that. But, also as you said:

--There are rumors of Laviolette being on the outs.
--There are rumors of Drury being on the hot seat.
--A few young players recently said it was a struggle to get playing time over the vets.
--They dumped Trouba.
--Zibanejad and Kreider look to be slowing down.

They definitely have some issues, and I could see it being a toss up between keeping or giving us 2025 pick.

Imagine if that pick becomes the #1 pick next season.

[Daniel]

Well crap, I guess Jake O’Brien will be a nice pickup.

[Ericf]

Well crap, I guess Jake O’Brien will be a nice pickup.

Not for the Pens. He’ll be long gone by #9. He is rising on everyone’s draft board. None of the players who most scouts think might develop into top line forwards are going to be available to the Pens at 9 unless a few teams go off the grid. That’s what winning meaningless games against teams mailing it in so you can feel good about your game and spout off about “pride” does for you

[Michael74]

Well crap, I guess Jake O’Brien will be a nice pickup.

Not for the Pens. He’ll be long gone by #9. He is rising on everyone’s draft board. None of the players who most scouts think might develop into top line forwards are going to be available to the Pens at 9 unless a few teams go off the grid. That’s what winning meaningless games against teams mailing it in so you can feel good about your game and spout off about “pride” does for you

Agreed. O'Brien will be gone but hey Sid got the game winner so everyones summer is made.

This was a bad win that helps us in no way.

[Daniel]

Well crap, I guess Jake O’Brien will be a nice pickup.

Not for the Pens. He’ll be long gone by #9. He is rising on everyone’s draft board. None of the players who most scouts think might develop into top line forwards are going to be available to the Pens at 9 unless a few teams go off the grid. That’s what winning meaningless games against teams mailing it in so you can feel good about your game and spout off about “pride” does for you

Agreed. O'Brien will be gone but hey Sid got the game winner so everyones summer is made.

This was a bad win that helps us in no way.

This seems to be the top 10 from mock drafts I've seen. Granted before the combine and interviews, but the last mock has the Penguins taking Jackson Smith. I wouldn't be against it, but if it goes in this order O'Brien is available. If he goes before that then who is available in his spot? I think the top 3 are pretty locked and I think Frondell/Desnoyer goes in the next 3. Not sure where Hagens end up, he was supposed to be number 1 but has fallen. Him and McQueen are the wildcards I think. Schaefer, Misa, Martone, Frondell, Desnoyers, Eklund seem to be can't miss prospects, even if none of them are franchise guys. If O'Brien goes before the Penguins, I think one of McQueen, Eklund, Hagens falls to the Penguins. Hagens is the only one I have doubts about, McQueen because of his injury concerns but he should be fine.

Matthew Schaefer
Michael Misa
Porter Martone
James Hagens
Anton Frondell
Caleb Desnoyers
Victor Eklund
Roger McQueen
Jackson Smith
Jake O'Brien

We'll see, but they really hurt their chances of a can't miss guy by drafting 9th rather than 5th. Of course, they could win the lottery OR someone pushes them to 10th. Might have to look at the 2nd tier prospects and throw away the great need for a center. Frankly if they draft 10th, they might consider trading down to get more picks. Seems to be a lot of question marks after the top 5-10.

[Michael74]

Well crap, I guess Jake O’Brien will be a nice pickup.

Not for the Pens. He’ll be long gone by #9. He is rising on everyone’s draft board. None of the players who most scouts think might develop into top line forwards are going to be available to the Pens at 9 unless a few teams go off the grid. That’s what winning meaningless games against teams mailing it in so you can feel good about your game and spout off about “pride” does for you

Agreed. O'Brien will be gone but hey Sid got the game winner so everyones summer is made.

This was a bad win that helps us in no way.

This seems to be the top 10 from mock drafts I've seen. Granted before the combine and interviews, but the last mock has the Penguins taking Jackson Smith. I wouldn't be against it, but if it goes in this order O'Brien is available. If he goes before that then who is available in his spot? I think the top 3 are pretty locked and I think Frondell/Desnoyer goes in the next 3. Not sure where Hagens end up, he was supposed to be number 1 but has fallen. Him and McQueen are the wildcards I think. Schaefer, Misa, Martone, Frondell, Desnoyers, Eklund seem to be can't miss prospects, even if none of them are franchise guys. If O'Brien goes before the Penguins, I think one of McQueen, Eklund, Hagens falls to the Penguins. Hagens is the only one I have doubts about, McQueen because of his injury concerns but he should be fine.

Matthew Schaefer
Michael Misa
Porter Martone
James Hagens
Anton Frondell
Caleb Desnoyers
Victor Eklund
Roger McQueen
Jackson Smith
Jake O'Brien

We'll see, but they really hurt their chances of a can't miss guy by drafting 9th rather than 5th. Of course, they could win the lottery OR someone pushes them to 10th. Might have to look at the 2nd tier prospects and throw away the great need for a center. Frankly if they draft 10th, they might consider trading down to get more picks. Seems to be a lot of question marks after the top 5-10.

Absolutely no to Smith, We need a forward more likely a Center and I was never big on Smith anyhow.. O'Brien of late has moved up a few spots, I seriously doubt we could get him. McQueen is damaged, no thanks. We might have to settle for Martin. I like him a lot, but was hoping we could get him possibly with the RAGS pick depending on what they do..

[Daniel]

Well crap, I guess Jake O’Brien will be a nice pickup.

Not for the Pens. He’ll be long gone by #9. He is rising on everyone’s draft board. None of the players who most scouts think might develop into top line forwards are going to be available to the Pens at 9 unless a few teams go off the grid. That’s what winning meaningless games against teams mailing it in so you can feel good about your game and spout off about “pride” does for you

Agreed. O'Brien will be gone but hey Sid got the game winner so everyones summer is made.

This was a bad win that helps us in no way.

This seems to be the top 10 from mock drafts I've seen. Granted before the combine and interviews, but the last mock has the Penguins taking Jackson Smith. I wouldn't be against it, but if it goes in this order O'Brien is available. If he goes before that then who is available in his spot? I think the top 3 are pretty locked and I think Frondell/Desnoyer goes in the next 3. Not sure where Hagens end up, he was supposed to be number 1 but has fallen. Him and McQueen are the wildcards I think. Schaefer, Misa, Martone, Frondell, Desnoyers, Eklund seem to be can't miss prospects, even if none of them are franchise guys. If O'Brien goes before the Penguins, I think one of McQueen, Eklund, Hagens falls to the Penguins. Hagens is the only one I have doubts about, McQueen because of his injury concerns but he should be fine.

Matthew Schaefer
Michael Misa
Porter Martone
James Hagens
Anton Frondell
Caleb Desnoyers
Victor Eklund
Roger McQueen
Jackson Smith
Jake O'Brien

We'll see, but they really hurt their chances of a can't miss guy by drafting 9th rather than 5th. Of course, they could win the lottery OR someone pushes them to 10th. Might have to look at the 2nd tier prospects and throw away the great need for a center. Frankly if they draft 10th, they might consider trading down to get more picks. Seems to be a lot of question marks after the top 5-10.

Absolutely no to Smith, We need a forward more likely a Center and I was never big on Smith anyhow.. O'Brien of late has moved up a few spots, I seriously doubt we could get him. McQueen is damaged, no thanks. We might have to settle for Martin. I like him a lot, but was hoping we could get him possibly with the RAGS pick depending on what they do..

I think a lot will change in the next 2+ months, but I agree with you somewhat. Brady Martin and Carter Bear are C/W so need to know for sure they'll play center. Not worried about McQueen's injury, but I am worried about his skating.

Out of the players with a realistic shot to get, O'Brien is number one on my list. If he's gone, who drops in his place?

If they get the Rangers pick and O'Brien is gone (depending on who drops), get a guy like Braeden Cootes or Lynden Lakovic, with the Rangers pick and a guy like Radim Mrtka or Kashawn Aitcheson with their own pick.

[FLPensFan]

Well crap, I guess Jake O’Brien will be a nice pickup.

Not for the Pens. He’ll be long gone by #9. He is rising on everyone’s draft board. None of the players who most scouts think might develop into top line forwards are going to be available to the Pens at 9 unless a few teams go off the grid. That’s what winning meaningless games against teams mailing it in so you can feel good about your game and spout off about “pride” does for you

Agreed. O'Brien will be gone but hey Sid got the game winner so everyones summer is made.

This was a bad win that helps us in no way.

This seems to be the top 10 from mock drafts I've seen. Granted before the combine and interviews, but the last mock has the Penguins taking Jackson Smith. I wouldn't be against it, but if it goes in this order O'Brien is available. If he goes before that then who is available in his spot? I think the top 3 are pretty locked and I think Frondell/Desnoyer goes in the next 3. Not sure where Hagens end up, he was supposed to be number 1 but has fallen. Him and McQueen are the wildcards I think. Schaefer, Misa, Martone, Frondell, Desnoyers, Eklund seem to be can't miss prospects, even if none of them are franchise guys. If O'Brien goes before the Penguins, I think one of McQueen, Eklund, Hagens falls to the Penguins. Hagens is the only one I have doubts about, McQueen because of his injury concerns but he should be fine.

Matthew Schaefer
Michael Misa
Porter Martone
James Hagens
Anton Frondell
Caleb Desnoyers
Victor Eklund
Roger McQueen
Jackson Smith
Jake O'Brien

We'll see, but they really hurt their chances of a can't miss guy by drafting 9th rather than 5th. Of course, they could win the lottery OR someone pushes them to 10th. Might have to look at the 2nd tier prospects and throw away the great need for a center. Frankly if they draft 10th, they might consider trading down to get more picks. Seems to be a lot of question marks after the top 5-10.

If the Penguins stay at 9th, I'd say these are the players fans should be reading up on as potential picks:
-Jake O'Brien
-Victor Eklund
-Roger McQueen
-Porter Martone
-Kashawn Aitcheson
-Radim Mrtka
-Jackson Smith

I think someone will snatch up Martone because of his size, but one scout said Martone has the biggest weakness of any of the other players ranked in the top 5....which is his skating. Similar to McGroarty, he is said to have a heavy first few steps and an awkward stride.

O'Brien has been rising but, I do think there will be some teams in the top 10 that want to go defense over BPA, so O'Brien could fall into our range. Tankathon, for example, I believe is just picking the best players and slotting them in order. It's not looking at need at all. Seattle...I really don't see them taking a center with Berniers, Wright, McCann, and just drafting Berkley Catton last year. They are more of a landing spot for Martone, Eklund, one of the d-men, or going outside the predicted slotting.

I would also say that, if someone like O'Brien, Desnoyers, or Frondell fall outside the top 5, down to 6 or 7, I would strongly consider trading up to get one of them. To move from 9th to 7th overall would roughly cost us the Caps 2025 2nd we own, and maybe a 5th or a prospect. That's a very small price to pay. Moving up from 9th to 6th would likely cost them a 9th overall, plus a 2nd and a 3rd. This is why they have extra picks. If someone is willing to consider moving down a few slots to pickup extra picks, and we get a better player that fits our needs....100% we should go for it. I think moving up higher any more than 3 spots starts to become too costly, though.

[Michael74]

Not for the Pens. He’ll be long gone by #9. He is rising on everyone’s draft board. None of the players who most scouts think might develop into top line forwards are going to be available to the Pens at 9 unless a few teams go off the grid. That’s what winning meaningless games against teams mailing it in so you can feel good about your game and spout off about “pride” does for you

Agreed. O'Brien will be gone but hey Sid got the game winner so everyones summer is made.

This was a bad win that helps us in no way.

This seems to be the top 10 from mock drafts I've seen. Granted before the combine and interviews, but the last mock has the Penguins taking Jackson Smith. I wouldn't be against it, but if it goes in this order O'Brien is available. If he goes before that then who is available in his spot? I think the top 3 are pretty locked and I think Frondell/Desnoyer goes in the next 3. Not sure where Hagens end up, he was supposed to be number 1 but has fallen. Him and McQueen are the wildcards I think. Schaefer, Misa, Martone, Frondell, Desnoyers, Eklund seem to be can't miss prospects, even if none of them are franchise guys. If O'Brien goes before the Penguins, I think one of McQueen, Eklund, Hagens falls to the Penguins. Hagens is the only one I have doubts about, McQueen because of his injury concerns but he should be fine.

Matthew Schaefer
Michael Misa
Porter Martone
James Hagens
Anton Frondell
Caleb Desnoyers
Victor Eklund
Roger McQueen
Jackson Smith
Jake O'Brien

We'll see, but they really hurt their chances of a can't miss guy by drafting 9th rather than 5th. Of course, they could win the lottery OR someone pushes them to 10th. Might have to look at the 2nd tier prospects and throw away the great need for a center. Frankly if they draft 10th, they might consider trading down to get more picks. Seems to be a lot of question marks after the top 5-10.

Absolutely no to Smith, We need a forward more likely a Center and I was never big on Smith anyhow.. O'Brien of late has moved up a few spots, I seriously doubt we could get him. McQueen is damaged, no thanks. We might have to settle for Martin. I like him a lot, but was hoping we could get him possibly with the RAGS pick depending on what they do..

I think a lot will change in the next 2+ months, but I agree with you somewhat. Brady Martin and Carter Bear are C/W so need to know for sure they'll play center. Not worried about McQueen's injury, but I am worried about his skating.

Out of the players with a realistic shot to get, O'Brien is number one on my list. If he's gone, who drops in his place?

If they get the Rangers pick and O'Brien is gone (depending on who drops), get a guy like Braeden Cootes or Lynden Lakovic, with the Rangers pick and a guy like Radim Mrtka or Kashawn Aitcheson with their own pick.

I'd take Martin over Lakovic. And I do think Martin can play center. I'm operating under the Premise that Desnoyers, Eklund and O'Brien are gone before 9thOA. If not I'd take them over Martin. But again I doubt any of them get to nine which stinks. A loss today would have given us 7th OA. ONE of Desnoyers, Eklund or O'Brien would have been a guarantee there. That would have been awesome! Again really like Martin, he's next best IMO. I like Bear a lot but he's coming off a very bad injury.

[Pens4Life]

We really spoiled the draft pick position, instead of being top 5 or 6,we are now 9th.
we have now around 5% chance to win lottery draw for no.1? Whats the worst spot we can end up?

[Puck-Lurker]

We really spoiled the draft pick position, instead of being top 5 or 6,we are now 9th.
we have now around 5% chance to win lottery draw for no.1? Whats the worst spot we can end up?

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