The Pittsburgh Penguins have their deepest prospect pool in years – but there’s still so much work to do

Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports

Shoutout to the Carolina Hurricanes. Whether Jake Guentzel is a rental or not, the fact that they landed the big fish on the trade market without giving up any of their top five prospects is a win.

But for the Pittsburgh Penguins, it’ll sting to move on from one of the best wingers Sidney Crosby has ever had without getting some high-end prospects in return.

The Pens snagged Ville Koivunen, Vasili Ponomarev and Cruz Lucius in the deal on Thursday, helping to give the team its best prospect depth we’ve seen in quite some time.

But with a bottom-five pipeline to begin with, that’s not saying much. The team got a big boost from Brayden Yager at the 2023 NHL Draft, with Owen Pickering, Joel Blomqvist and 23-year-old Samuel Poulin being the other noteworthy pieces. They’ve got a few other solid pieces spread out globally, but none that appear to be real cant-miss talent – Yager, for example, looks like the only real sure-thing forward. The three new guys don’t really change that, but it helps give them some much-needed depth.

The team’s pursuit of glory has stifled its future. With Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang still in business, they had to do whatever it took to stay competitive. That included trading a 2024 first-rounder and a 2025 second-rounder to pickup reigning Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson to help improve the team’s production from the point. Karlsson is on pace for a 43-point drop and their power play sits at 15.1 percent – 28th in the NHL, and somehow six percent worse than last year.

They didn’t give away any actual prospects, but the team has struggled to rebuild with just two mid-to-late first-rounders over the past four years. With the big team continuing to fall in the playoff hunt, they’re in a peculiar spot—a bad team with a weak pipeline. And that’s not likely to change the current core any time soon.

The good news? The first-rounder they traded away is top-10 protected. The bad news? It would be the 11th pick, as of now. That would be one heck of a worst-case scenario.

New GM Kyle Dubas joined a franchise that was clearly on the outside looking in and needed a big splash to keep competitive. Getting Karlsson was a good start. But the team was still so flawed, and with Guentzel unlikely to sign, and given how difficult it is to get fair value at the trade deadline, he did what he could. But not landing a single big-name prospect – whether it be Scott Morrow or Jackson Blake from Carolina or Brennan Othmann from the New York Rangers – has to sting.

Morrow would have given them a high-quality prospect ready to make an impact as early as next season. Blake would have been perfect for the team’s middle-six. Othmann is a wrecking ball that knows a thing or two about putting pucks in the net.

As for what they got? Ponomaryov has noticeable skill and has impressed in the AHL. He looked great when he first got called up with the Hurricanes. He has middle-six potential. Koivunen, 20, has seen his offensive production double with Karpat in the top Finnish league, and he’ll likely finish in the top five in scoring. Defensively, though, he needs work. Cruz Lucius has been a productive winger for the University of Wisconsin, but his skating drags him down.

Given the difference in contention windows for both squads, all three have a better chance at thriving with Pittsburgh. And if no better prospects were really in play – regardless of team – it is what it is. It’s underwhelming, given what they gave up. They didn’t even get a guaranteed first-rounder, either – their second pick will only become a first if the Hurricanes make the Stanley Cup final, and then it will be No. 31 or 32, anyway.

The Penguins have just six picks in the first four rounds of the next two drafts combined. That’ll be hard to build around, and not quickly enough.

For a team that has struggled for consistent offensive depth in its pipeline, they finally have some help. But it’s still far from good, at this point. Yager has top-six potential, while Pickering could be a decent bottom-four pairing guy with size. Blomqvist is intriguing but is likely trending toward 1B status, at best. A lot of the shine has fallen off Poulin, given his age, but 18-year-old Mikhail Ilyin is intriguing after an excellent season in the KHL. But beyond maybe Yager, this team lacks a real difference-maker in the system, which hasn’t changed. Just more complementary pieces.

Pittsburgh’s core is among the most illustrious in the salary cap era. With three Stanley Cups, a fourth appearance, and a 16-year playoff streak, they were bound to come crashing down sooner rather than later, just like the Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks before them. This isn’t news to anyone in the Pens’ fanbase. But

The Penguins have plenty of work to do no matter what’s next. Crosby is a free agent after next season, while Malkin’s deal is up in 2026 and Letang will be around until 2028. They’re all 36+ – Father Time will come calling sooner rather than later. Dubas has some big hurdles to overcome if the Penguins are going to contend again with its big three, and he doesn’t have the future assets to make it happen.

It’s a start, but they’re not there yet. And not really close, either.

Discover Betano.ca – a premium Sports Betting and Online Casino experience. Offering numerous unique and dynamic betting options along with diverse digital and live casino games, Betano is where The Game Starts Now. 19+. Please play responsibly.

The Pittsburgh Penguins have their deepest prospect pool in years – but there’s still so much work to do

Recently by Steven Ellis