With the month of June in full swing, buzz around the 2025 NHL Entry Draft is heating up.
The draft - which will take place on Jun. 27-28 - has generated even more buzz because of the NHL scouting combine that took place the week of Jun. 1.
At the combine, Pittsburgh Penguins' president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas spoke with many players - as reported by Josh Yohe of The Athletic and Cam Robinson of Elite Prospects- notably center Roger McQueen, defenseman Radim Mrtka, and right wing Porter Martone, who is widely expected to be drafted in the top-five.
Right now, the Penguins are slated to draft 11th overall. So, this begs the question:
Should Pittsburgh trade up in this year's draft?
On the surface, there is a good argument that there is a discernible gap between the top-five in this draft and everyone else. Martone, Caleb Desnoyers, James Hagens, Michael Misa, and consensus no. 1 overall pick Matthew Schaefer are atop most draft boards, and then, there is a large collection of players who all fall within approximately the same level as far as potential.
While, yes, it may be enticing for Dubas to try to trade up... it's probably not the time to do it.
It remains to be seen whether or not the Penguins will have the New York Rangers' 12th overall pick acquired from the Marcus Pettersson trade with the Vancouver Canucks. If the Rangers decide to defer their pick to 2026 - which is, by most accounts, a deeper draft class - the Penguins will have two consecutive picks at 11 and 12 to, potentially, draft a pair of game-changing players.
Penguins Draft Prospect Profile: Jake O'Brien
With the 2025 NHL Entry Draft approaching fast, POHO and GM Kyle Dubas and the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins">Pittsburgh Penguins</a> have their work cut out for them.
Sure, trading up to draft a player like Martone is no small thing, but the idea of getting two big pieces for the future without expending additional assets to trade up - especially with the Penguins likely being in a similar or better draft position in 2026 - is a little too good to pass up. Since teams know the draft is top-heavy, the cost to trade up may be a little more than the Penguins are willing to give up.
Besides, there is bound to be a good player that falls to them at 11. When considering some of the names that will be in the mix for those 6-10 selections - Mrtka, McQueen, center Jake O'Brien, center Anton Frondell, winger Victor Eklund, center Brady Martin, and winger Justin Carbonneau - two of those players are going to fall to 11 and 12. And whoever does fall, the Penguins will be getting two good players, anyway.
Penguins Draft Prospect Profile: Kashawn Aitcheson
With the 2025 NHL Entry Draft approaching fast, POHO and GM Kyle Dubas and the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins">Pittsburgh Penguins</a> have their work cut out for them.
In addition, keeping both consecutive picks allows them to, presumably, draft for positional need as well. There will likely be a formidable forward and a formidable defenseman available at 11 and 12, and the Penguins need both in their system. They'll be especially fortunate if one of the centers drops to 11 for them, as defenseman Kashawn Aitcheson - another player Dubas met with - should also be available in that range.
All in all, it makes far more sense for the Penguins to hold onto their 11th pick - and, possibly, the 12th - this season, as that will give them the opportunity to draft three potential franchise pieces in two drafts while still holding onto the additional valuable draft capital and roster/prospect pieces they've accrued to leverage elsewhere for young NHL talent.
And that's exactly the kind of assurance they need for the phase that they're in.
Penguins Draft Prospect Profile: Jackson Smith
With the 2025 NHL Entry Draft approaching fast, POHO and GM Kyle Dubas and the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins">Pittsburgh Penguins</a> have their work cut out for them.
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