Penguins Options to Re-Build Bottom Six
Kyle Dubas has in-house options to rebuild the Pittsburgh Penguins aging bottom six.
Kyle Dubas' first offseason as Pittsburgh Penguins' President and General Manager saw many changes. Changes that resulted in the Penguins likely missing out on the postseason and landing in the top ten of the NHL Draft in 2024.
With year one almost over, the Penguins will likely see more changes in the coming off-season. Dubas built this year's bottom six to aid the defense and goaltenders at the expense of scoring and offensive upside, and that hasn't worked.
The Penguins will need more contributions from the bottom of the lineup, and a handful of younger players in the organization are well-positioned to get an opportunity.
Drew O'Connor and Valtteri Puustinen have established a footing in the Penguins lineup this season. O'Connor's breakout comes at the heels of signing a two-year contract with the Penguins last offseason. He has proven to be a reliable top-six option if called upon but is ideally fit for a third-line role.
Puustinen is in a similar spot. He's scored 16 points (4G-12A) in 38 games this season. The 2019 7th-round pick has settled in at the NHL level and has begun to show comfortability in recent weeks.
O'Connor and Puustinen will likely enter next season as favorites to land a roster spot. The future remains uncertain for players such as Matt Nieto, Reilly Smith, Lars Eller, and Noel Acciari.
If roster spots continue to open up, don't be surprised if the Penguins look to winger Jesse Puljujarvi and centers Sam Poulin and Vasily Ponomarev to receive serious consideration during training camp.
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