Is This The Summer For The Penguins To Trade Their First-Round Pick?

On year ago, the notion of the Pittsburgh Penguins trading their 2026 first-round pick would have been met with understandable and unabashed criticism.

Of course, it's not hard to see why: One year ago, the Penguins were waiting for word on the New York Rangers' decision on the first they surrendered to Pittsburgh, and the Rangers chose to keep their 2026 first instead of their 2025 first. One year ago - and this still holds true - folks were talking about how many impact, franchise players would headline the 2026 class. And, one year ago, most of the hockey world thought the Penguins would be one of the teams vying for a precious spot in the top-five, potentially even possessing the most lottery balls.

Well, one year later, a playoff berth and a much later draft selection have certainly changed a few things.

With the NHL Draft Lottery concluded - and the Toronto Maple Leafs winning it to get the first overall pick - the Penguins will select 22nd overall in this year's draft, which will take place Jun. 26-27 at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York. It's a far cry from the top-five, where almost everyone thought they would be drafting going into the 2025-26 season. 

Then, they were a top-10 team in the NHL for most of the season, and they made the playoffs. Yes, they were finished off in the first round by the Philadelphia Flyers - even if they made the series interesting by forcing a Game 6 after going down 3-0 - but with some up-and-coming talent on the way and some veterans still playing at a very high level, it stands to reason that the Penguins can build on what they accomplished this season. 

So, there's the million dollar question: Will the Penguins mobilize this summer? And, if so, will they deal their 22nd overall pick for a young player?

Typically, a team in the midst of a rebuild, even if the Penguins did make the playoffs this season, isn't exactly in a position to leverage those higher-value assets. But, the Penguins are in a bit of a unique situation.

For starters, their veterans are still playing at a very high level. Sidney Crosby just clinched his 21st consecutive season above point-per-game. Evgeni Malkin - whose future for next season, as a UFA, has not yet been decided - was above point-per-game for the first time in three years. Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell matched their paces from last season. Anthony Mantha, another UFA, led the team in goals. And Erik Karlsson played some of the best hockey of his career since his days as an Ottawa Senator nearly a decade ago.

On the surface, some may say that the Penguins are too reliant on their veterans. But they have some key young pieces who should be breaking through on the NHL roster - or, in some cases, have already broken through - sometime next season. 

Ben Kindel made the team as an 18-year-old, was the third-line center all season long, has mature details in his game already, and will only continue to grow in terms of production. Egor Chinakhov, 25, only scratched the surface of his potential as an impact top-six winger after being traded to the Penguins by the Columbus Blue Jackets in late-December, as he registered 18 goals and 36 points in 43 games.

Then, there is 22-year-old goaltender Sergei Murashov, who had another really solid professional campaign in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS) and figures to graduate to the NHL from the AHL next season. There is also defenseman Harrison Brunicke, 20, who broke the NHL roster out of training camp at 19, eventually found himself back on his junior team, is playing top-pair minutes for WBS during the playoffs, and is the highest-upside defenseman in their system. He should also push for a full-time NHL roster spot next season.

And that's not even counting other peripheral players like Avery Hayes, Rutger McGroarty, Ville Koivunen, Tristan Broz, Owen Pickering, and Tanner Howe, all of whom will be in the mix over the next two years. 

Finally, there's the potential of the trade market this summer.

Even with the cap rising by $8.5 million next season, there are still some teams who are either in cap trouble or are heading in the wrong direction organizationally. The Dallas Stars will try to figure out a way to sign pending-RFA superstar forward Jason Robertson, but that may expose other high-upside young pieces such as defenseman Thomas Harley and forward Mavrik Bourque.

The Leafs - despite winning the lottery - have one of the league's worst farm systems and a captain in Auston Matthews that isn't sure about his future in Toronto with two years remaining on his contract. Even if not Matthews, players like Matthew Knies and Nick Robertson could become available. St. Louis Blues center Robert Thomas could also be on the market, even though he'd probably cost a king's ransom.

The Anaheim Ducks and Montreal Canadiens have a surplus of young blueliners and, in an effort to take the next step in contention, may covet a good veteran player like Rakell or Rust. There is even some potential turmoil in Edmonton, although the Oilers are unlikely to put their two best players on the market this summer.

Even if the free agent market is rather thin this summer, the trade market could have a lot of opportunity, and that's not something that happens very often in the NHL. If an opportunity arises to acquire a young impact talent that could help the Penguins in both the short-term and the long-term, they have to take advantage of that.

They also have a high second-round pick thanks to the Winnipeg Jets, so there won't be an overwhelmingly large talent gap between where they're picking at 22 in the first round versus picking at 39 in the second. And they have another second-round pick at 54. 

Obviously, there are bound to be many other teams in on these players, should they become available, so the acquisition cost isn't going to come cheap. A high-end player like Robertson would cost the Penguins at least Rust or Rakell, the first-rounder, and a high-value prospect like Brunicke at a starting point. And that's only a starting point, as it would certainly take at least another prospect and/or an NHL rostered player, plus a few other picks. 

And, even if not a Robertson-level talent, someone like Harley would still cost quite a lot. But it's something they should still be able to execute.

The beauty of the Penguins' situation - and what actually makes it pretty advantageous - is the fact that they have a high volume of draft capital, a high volume of viable prospects, and more cap space than anyone else in the NHL. So, even if the Penguins lack some of the higher-end blue-chip prospects other organizations possess, they have so much more flexibility in terms of building out a high-volume package that could push deals over the finish line.

They can tack on picks. They can tack on a prospect or two. And they can take on some salary or a bad contract to help cap-strapped teams like Dallas clear out more space. All of these things do add up, and they could spell the difference in terms of setting themselves apart.

The Penguins and GM/POHO Kyle Dubas have positioned themselves nicely to make a big splash because they have those "extra assets." They have that peripheral prospect talent, mid-round draft capital, and cap space that other teams don't. And they have enough of those things that giving up a few of them for a star player or a rising young player wouldn't be a detriment to their future. 

If there is a summer to leverage their first-round pick in a trade for a legitimate young talent, it's this summer. Since they're not going to land a lottery pick, they may be better off landing a sure talent using that first-rounder as leverage rather than hoping that the pick turns into one of the guys they could have traded for. 

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