The Pittsburgh Penguins can address several needs in the 2024 NHL Draft.

PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Penguins own two second-round picks in the upcoming draft. As a result of the Carolina Hurricanes failing to move past the second round of the postseason, their conditional draft pick gives the Penguins both the 44th and 46th overall picks. 

While their first-round selection was sent packing when they acquired Erik Karlsson, the 2024 Draft is still crucial for the Penguins. They won't be able to grab a player with the skillset of someone like last year's first-round selection, Brayden Yager, but they can still address some areas of need. The second round still produces NHL-quality talent. Players like Nikita Kucherov, Roman Josi, and Alex Debrincat are just a few examples of current stars selected after the first 32 picks. 

That bodes well for the Penguins, who are trying to find their way back into the postseason after two straight years of early summers. To do so, they need to continue adding to their prospect system. The Penguins made solid strides at the 2023 Draft and added a solid piece in Yager. They also added more forward depth with Russian Mikhail Ilyin, who had an impressive year in the KHL. Add in 2021 second-round pick Tristan Broz and newly acquired Ville Koivunen, and the Pens have a vastly improved crop of forward prospects. 

Which is why the Penguins should prioritize defense in this year's draft. With their system still being one of the league's weakest, selecting the best and most talented available regardless of position would be understandable. But their forward depth is vastly better than it was a year ago.

The same can't be said about their defensive prospects. Owen Pickering is still the best of the bunch, but behind him, there is a need for sure NHL talent. 2023 third-rounder Emil Pieniniemi has promise, but he is still several years away from breaking through. 

That can change in the upcoming draft. With two top-50 selections, the Pens have a golden opportunity to improve their defensive pipeline. This year's draft class is ripe with young defensemen. They could easily grab two defenders who would instantly catapult to the second and third-best in the system if they played their cards right. 

The Penguins will have some tough decisions when they are on the clock next month. With a variety of holes to fill, it's unclear what strategy the team will use to make their selections. However, they need to improve upon their drafting success in 2023 and use their second-round picks to stockpile NHL-capable prospects. Hopefully, one or both of them are defensemen. 

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