The Pittsburgh Penguins and general manager Kyle Dubas have work to do this offseason. The Penguins failed to make the playoffs last season and may be watching the last few years of star centers Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.
With the free agency period looming, the organization first has to pick the stars of the future in the 2025 NHL Draft, held this Friday and Saturday at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. Pittsburgh has two first-round picks and below is a suggestion on how they should use those picks.
The Penguins had the 11th pick overall but now have the 12th pick also, thanks to the New York Rangers. New York acquired the pick from the Vancouver Canucks in the J.T. Miller trade.
The Penguins have a massive opportunity to to grow their prospect pool and have two young stars waiting to make their impact in the NHL. What will Dubas and the Penguins do with these two picks?
Roger McQueen
With the 11th pick they select center Roger McQueen, if he is still there for the taking. He has all of the potential in the world and is a big body at 6-foot-5. The reason they could select him is Crosby and Malkin, both centers, are on the last few years of their careers and Pittsburgh needs scoring down the middle for the future.
McQueen can fill that role due to his production at five-on-five and on the power play. He is a threat when on the ice and takes up space due to his size. It is a risky pick due to his recent back issues but if that is all behind him he could be a franchise player.
Jackson Smith
Next is defenseman Jackson Smith. With rumors circulating that defenseman Erik Karlsson would okay a trade out of Pittsburgh, the current roster and prospect pipeline lack offensive defensemen. With Kris Letang on the back end of his career also, Smith could fill the offensive role from the back end.
He is a physical defenseman and is also mobile for a player his size. He is good in all three zones and has the potential to be a top-pairing defenseman. Pittsburgh may look at trading up to get him also due to the shortage of defensemen in this draft.
The Penguins need to improve their prospect pipeline as it is lacking in several areas. They do not have a big point producing forward, they do not have a lot on defense to be hopeful for, and the goaltending prospects are average. This is a big draft for Pittsburgh and they need to hit two home runs with their first two picks.
McQueen and Smith could translate to the NHL with the style of games they play. Their styles of play would compliment the current roster well even if they do not make an impact right away. McQueen would join forwards Rutger McGroarty and Sam Poulin, along with defensemen Owen Pickering and Jack St. Ivany, in a nice core going forward. With the retirements of some impact players in the next few seasons, this core of young players will lead the Penguins in the near future.
The 2025 NHL Draft will be held over two days: Round 1 on Friday, June 27 at 7 p.m. ET (ESPN, ESPN+, Sportsnet, TVA Sports), and rounds two through seven on June 28 at noon ET (NHL Network, ESPN+, Sportsnet, SN1).