The in-house options don't look outstanding for the Pittsburgh Penguins third-line center.

It didn’t take long into the 2022-23 season for everyone to realize that the Pittsburgh Penguins needed upgrades to their depth forwards.

After the first lengthy losing streak of the season, the Penguins made themselves invisible and rarely showed up for the rest of the year.

There was a smattering of games every so often where guys like Drew O’Connor or Ryan Poehling would impress, but no one else could keep up.

The biggest downfall of the depth forwards was the lack of production from the third-line center position.

Between Poehling and Jeff Carter, there just wasn’t enough there to put together a threatening line.

Those two combined for 43 points; it goes without saying that isn’t good enough for that spot.

In reality the third line center alone should be nearing, if not passing the 43-point mark, especially on a team who fancy themselves as a Stanley Cup contender like the Penguins did all year.

Moving forward, the Penguins are going to need a better option at 3C; Poehling is a good, young player, but not yet at the caliber to carry the third line

Plus, everyone knows Carter or Mikael Granlund aren’t the answer.

Whoever Fenway Sports Group finds for the Penguins front office will probably have to search the free agent market for a viable option, who should the Penguins target?

The easy answer is Max Domi; a young skilled player who is currently proving his worth on a far superior Dallas Stars team.

Domi was putting up solid numbers on a tanking Chicago Blackhawks team before being dealt to the Stars at the trade deadline.

The numbers didn’t reflect much following the trade, but since the start of the postseason, Domi has been one of the Stars most productive forwards.

In 11 games played, Domi has three goals and seven assists for 10 points.

Ryan O’Reilly is an aged option, but even at 32-years-old, he is still one of the best two-way players in the game.

With nine points (3G-9A) in 10 postseason games, O’Reilly was a huge piece in pushing the Toronto Maple Leafs past the first round for the first time since 2004.

If the Penguins are able to land Kyle Dubas as a general manager, maybe he can sway O’Reilly into following him to Pittsburgh.

Other options could include Pius Suter from the Detroit Red Wings, or even Sean Monahan out of the Montreal Canadiens.

Regardless, the Penguins need someone other than Poehling, Carter, or Granund manning their third line.

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