The 2026 NHL Entry Draft is officially eight days away, and speculation is beginning to run rampant for a lot of teams. Trade rumors are flying high. Draft boards are populating social media and various substack sites. Names are circulating like crazy. And the Pittsburgh Penguins will be one of the most interesting teams to keep an eye on ahead of the draft. After making the playoffs in 2026, the Penguins and general manager and president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas are looking to build on what they started this season. They want to take another step next season by mixing in some trade strategy, draft savvy, and upward development for existing prospects, and they have already appeared in some rumors -- namely involving Edmonton Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse. Right now, the Penguins are slotted to select 22nd overall in this year's draft, but there is still plenty of time for that to change. So, what scenarios might the Penguins find themselves in with their pick, and which way should they go? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRADE DOWN IN THE DRAFT If folks recall correctly, Penguins' GM and POHO Kyle Dubas did, in fact, trade back in the 2025 Draft. The Penguins were originally slotted to draft back-to-back at 11th and 12th overall because they had a first-round pick from the New York Rangers acquired in the trade that sent defenseman Marcus Pettersson to the Vancouver Canucks. But, they traded that 12th overall pick to select two more times in the first round at 22 and 24, where they used those selections to draft forwards Bill Zonnon and Will Horcoff. Perhaps a team like the Calgary Flames - who are rebuilding - would want to trade up to draft at 22, as they have the 30th, 35th, and 36th overall picks. They also have two additional picks in the second round. It might make some sense for Dubas and the Penguins to move down if they know they can get their hands on all three of those picks in close range, especially since they also draft at 39. There are other examples, but Calgary - who is already drafting sixth overall - seems like a logical and ideal trade partner for this scenario. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRADE UP IN THE DRAFT Of course, "trading up" is quite the broad term. It could mean anything from trading up a few slots to get a certain player still on the board or trading up substantially to sniff the top-five. One is far more likely than the other. If the Penguins have a few guys in mind who may be a bit above their range at 22, it wouldn't be unreasonable for them to move up 3-5 slots to be able to snag the guy they want before he's gone. We see this on draft day frequently, and it wouldn't cost an arm and a leg, even if it cost another asset. But the other scenario? Teams rarely ever trade out of the top-10, and there's a reason for that. The drop-off in talent is typically pretty significant, and those teams will need a return grand enough to justify giving up their top-10 slot, which isn't an easy thing for other prying teams to justify. Given the position the Penguins are in, do they really want to sacrifice something along the lines of one of their best tradeable NHL assets, their 22nd overall pick, one of their best prospects, and another high-value pick for who is - at the end of the day - another "maybe?" Well, maybe. But it would have to be for the right player, and, specifically, that's either a franchise-changing center or defenseman. There are plenty of good defensemen early in this draft class - guys like Keaton Verhoeff, Alberts Smits, and Chase Reid come to mind - and Viggo Bjorck and Caleb Malhotra are there as high-end centers. But those guys will all cost a fortune, so the risk would have to be weighed carefully. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRADE THE PICK FOR A YOUNG PLAYER One of the ideas that Dubas made a point to emphasize in his season-ending press conference in May is that no prospect is a guarantee. This is a sentiment he expressed when asked about his own prospects, reminding folks that these players are still "in development" and hesitating to put labels on ceilings and such. When you really get down to the nuts and bolts of it all, that's true. In prospects and in picks, you're paying for potential, not for impact. Whereas, sometimes, leveraging these picks with "potential" can help land you a player who is a proven commodity. When Dubas said he wanted to add impact mid-20s talent, it shows he understands the assigment: In order to become a sustainable contender, you can't just rely on homegrown prospects and on the draft. You have to be willing to sacrifice some of that potential - even if higher-end potential - in order to acquire players who are surefire commodities. Given his comments about "mid-late 20-somethings" coupled with the approach the Penguins have been taking in a general sense (which doesn't involve a teardown rebuild), it would not be surprising if that 22nd overall pick is leveraged as part of a trade package for said mid-late 20-something. After all, that pick would still be used for a good player in that instance, right? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- KEEP THE PICK AND DRAFT 22ND OVERALL. Look, at the end of the day, there is substantial talent at the top of this draft class. That is a pretty universal sentiment. The problem is that it's going to cost a LOT - far more than Dubas and the Penguins are probably willing to part with - in order to draft high for someone who is still no sure bet to be franchise-changing. But, beyond that top-10, literally anything is possible. The talent pool from around 15-27 is, honestly, all so close that it may not really matter. The Penguins should be getting a good player at 22 regardless. If they want to shoot for a particular player who may not be available, sure, trade up a few spots. If they want more picks, go ahead and trade down. But, 22 should still be a pretty nice guarantee -- or, at least, one that is similar to just about anyone else for at least five spots in both directions. So, why not just leave and let lie? Guys like Nikita Klepov, Adam Novotny, Malte Gustafsson, Tommy Bleyle and J.P. Hulrbert should all be in that range, and they all have pretty nice projections. Sometimes, the best solution is no movement. And that may be the case for Kyle Dubas and the Penguins in this year's draft. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bookmark THN - Pittsburgh Penguins on your Google News tab [https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBwgKMK-q0gsw7sXpAw/sections/CAQqEAgAKgcICjCvqtILMO7F6QMwquDfCA?hl=en-CA&gl=CA&ceid=CA%3Aen] to follow the latest Penguins news, roster moves, player features, and more!
