Opinion: Yes, Dubas should keep his draft picks - but not all of them

Penguins general manager has opportunity to get creative with draft capital

For the first time in a long time, the Penguins' draft cupboard is not barren.

As it stands, the only pick the Penguins will miss out on over the next three years will be their 2026 sixth round pick. There are also five different instances - the 2025 fifth round, the 2026 third and seventh rounds, and the 2027 second and fourth rounds - where the Penguins have multiple picks.

And given the direction general manager Kyle Dubas seems to be taking - the Penguins traded forward Reilly Smith to the New York Rangers for a 2027 second-rounder and a 2025 fifth-rounder on July 1 - it's a good possibility that even more draft capital will be acquired whenever possible.

The belief among many Penguins fans and media seems to be that the team is, silently, going full-on rebuild. The stockpiling of draft picks is often cited as evidence to suggest that they're giving up on the now and putting their sole focus on the future.

But let's pump the brakes a bit.

To clarify one thing up front, there is a pretty big difference between "stockpiling" draft picks and "hoarding" them. Yes, the Penguins have nearly all of their picks and appear to be acquiring more of them; but just because they acquire ("stockpile") them, that doesn't mean they have to keep ("hoard") all of them. 

Acquiring a high volume of draft capital gives a team options, especially high-value picks in the first, second, or third rounds. It affords them the flexibility to keep most of those high-value picks to draft legitimate talent and, simultaneously, get creative in the trade market.

Dubas has said he still wants to add a "good, young player." But make no mistake: This does not mean he should pull a Rutherford and throw all of his first-round picks on the line. Any trade that he makes for a young player will be a more calculated move with high regard for risk v. reward.

With increased draft capital from the Jake Guentzel, Smith, and Kevin Hayes trades, he has more leeway to use some of that capital to make such a trade a reality. 

And speaking of reality, it's worth mentioning the juncture the Penguins find themselves at. 

Yes, they are old.

Yes, they have missed the playoffs for two consecutive seasons.

Yes, they are going to rebuild.

But they don't have to sell out entirely. Not yet. Using some of the excess draft capital as leverage in the aforementioned trade scenario - preferably for someone with term or who is willing to sign an extension - helps them both now and in the future. It keeps the focus on Cup contention down the line and also reinforces to Sidney Crosby and company that they're not quitting on the present.

The actual reality of this Penguins team is that they have missed the playoffs by three points or less for two consecutive seasons - points that easily could have been earned with something as simple as a competent power play: 

If the NHL playoffs have proven anything in the past, it's that any team can catch fire and make a run. Although their days of being top contenders in the Crosby era are likely a memory, they might have a legitimate path to improving their current roster enough to make the playoffs without mortgaging the future. And if that means one more outside shot for Crosby to hoist Lord Stanley, it's worth it.

The rebuild is coming either way. And given that rebuilds are far from guarantees to compete (see Buffalo, Ottawa, Arizona/Utah, etc.), it's hard to fully commit to one when a top-five player of all-time is still competing at an extraordinarily high level.

How Dubas decides to allocate his draft capital will largely determine exactly how soon this team can make noise in the playoffs again. 

And - if allocated right - it may be sooner than you think.