What I'm hearing about a Penguins trade target and moving up in the NHL Draft

New York Times

2 days ago

PITTSBURGH — It's showtime for Kyle Dubas and the Pittsburgh Penguins.
NHL Draft weekend has arrived, marking a golden opportunity for the Penguins president and general manager to land serious talent for his rebuild.
The expectation around the team is that Dubas will be aggressive on the trade market.
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What exactly does that mean?
Let's run through the possibilities:
• Dubas has the capital to trade up in the draft. It wouldn't be surprising to see the Penguins, who have the 11th and 12th picks, attempt to navigate their way into the top 10. The Penguins also have a second-round pick and three third-round picks.
'Kyle is looking to be aggressive. Everyone knows it,' said a league source who was granted anonymity so they could speak freely about another team.
• Dubas is willing to bundle certain picks to move up in the draft. He's also willing to use one or more of those draft picks to land young, NHL-ready talent. He isn't interested in acquiring players who are three or four years away from being ready to contribute in the NHL. Dubas is pleased with the direction of the Penguins' system. It was in shambles when he arrived two years ago but is now probably close to the league average. Dubas wants players ready for the NHL right now. It's easier said than done, but that's the goal.
• While some experts have said the 2025 NHL Draft class is average at best, I sense that Dubas likes the players available in the first round quite a bit. If he ends up staying in the 11th and 12th slots, he doesn't seem to view that as a failure. However, he's absolutely exploring trading up, given his surplus of picks.
• Here's a name to keep in mind: League and Utah Mammoth sources told me the Penguins have interest in Mammoth center Jack McBain, a restricted free agent. The 6-foot-4 center is tough and good defensively. He put up 13 goals and 27 points in 82 games last season for Utah.
This is precisely the kind of player the Penguins are looking for: He's only 25, he's big, and he has the potential to get better.
The Penguins are terribly thin down the middle once you get past Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Crosby turns 38 in August, and Malkin, who turns 39 in July, is likely entering his final NHL season. The Penguins have talented prospects on the blue line, especially Harrison Brunicke, the 2024 second-round selection, who has the organization excited. They have talented prospects between the pipes in Sergei Murashov, who could be their future No. 1 goaltender, and Joel Blomqvist. They also have some talented prospects at wing, with Rutger McGroarty and Ville Koivunen hardly looking out of place in their recent NHL stints.
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At center, though, the Penguins have precious little in their system.
Dubas wants the Penguins to get bigger and to become more difficult to play against. If that comes in a center, even better. McBain is one of a number of players the Penguins are interested in this summer. Utah wants to re-sign McBain but has been unable to strike a deal.
• Though Dubas could move up in the draft, he almost certainly will not trade both of his first-round picks to do so. He's not going to sell the farm. The Penguins aren't in a position where they can be that aggressive.
It is conceivable, though, that he would keep either the 11th or 12th pick, while using the other pick — along with picks in later rounds or a player on his roster — to either move up in the draft or land a younger NHL player who could help the Penguins well into the future.
Remember, very few of Dubas' summer moves will be geared toward the 2025-26 season. He's eager to create a wave of prospects and young NHL players that can contend soon — an unreasonable expectation for the upcoming season.
• Which draft prospects do the Penguins like?
Plenty.
It's no secret that Dubas and the Penguins have a particular affection for Porter Martone, the Brampton Steelheads (OHL) forward expected to go in the top 10. Dubas saw him play in person several times this past season. Some of that is logistical — Brampton is located near Pearson International Airport in Toronto, making it an easy stop for an NHL executive who flies into Toronto, and Martone's teammate in Brampton was Finn Harding, the Penguins' seventh-round pick last season whom Dubas was monitoring — but the Penguins and Dubas clearly like Martone.
As Canada's general manager in May's World Championship in Sweden, Dubas named Martone to the country's roster.
• The Penguins expect a run on center prospects to begin early in Friday's draft.
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That could include top prospects such as Jake O'Brien, James Hagens, Caleb Desnoyers, Roger McQueen and Brady Martin. Two other centers, Michael Misa and Anton Frondell, are expected to be taken in the first three or four picks.
If the Penguins stay at 11 and 12, they'd be delighted if any of those centers fell to them. Dubas personally scouted O'Brien (Brantford, OHL) on numerous occasions. Martin, a tenacious player who projects as a No. 2 center in the NHL, played for Dubas' beloved Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, so rest assured, Dubas knows all about him.
Hagens, once considered the top player in this draft, has dipped slightly during the past year but is highly skilled.
Then there is McQueen, a 6-5 center who probably has as much star potential as just about any player in this draft. He also faces questions about his health after a back injury kept him out for most of this past season. The Penguins spent considerable time with McQueen during the NHL Draft Combine in Buffalo. They like him.
• The Penguins were pleased — and a little surprised — when the New York Rangers informed them that they were giving up the 12th pick in this draft.
The thinking around the Penguins organization is that the Rangers will likely be a bit better next season, given some roster turnover and Mike Sullivan now guiding the team. So, this year's No. 12 pick was probably as good as the Penguins were going to get, even if next year's draft is considered to be more talented.
(Photo of Jack McBain: Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)