8mo
Penguins superstar Sidney Crosby will be turning 37 on August 7th.
Ok now that I made you feel old, let's talk about how the window in Pittsburgh is barely cracked open.
Evgeni Malkin is 38 years old, while Crosby and Kris Letang will both be 37 by opening day. The team has no first round draft picks, and there are question marks throughout the lineup, including in net.
The Penguins lost their first round pick to San Jose in the Erik Karlsson blockbuster trade but did add a second round pick from Carolina in the Jake Guentzel trade.
General Manager Kyle Dubas is in a tough situation in Pittsburgh. On one hand, you want to give Crosby, Malkin and Letang one more chance of making a long run in the playoffs. On the other hand, you have to make sure you can have a competitive team on the ice when the older superstars retire and start their Hall-of-Fame clocks.
Dubas has started to stockpile some young prospects in the organization. He drafted center Brayden Yager last year in the first round and he obtained forwards Ville Koivunen and Cruz Lucius in the Guentzel trade.
Here is a look at the Penguins top 10 prospects today.
The Penguins don’t have a first round pick, but they have two picks in the top 50 (46 and 48) and they need to keep adding quality prospects to the organization. Here are three probable second round picks that Draft Nation thinks could be great additions to their farm system.
Tanner Howe plays the game hard and does the dirty things needed to win games and has the potential to score goals. After watching the tape of him, Draft Nation saw a young Patric Hornqvist. The ex-Penguin Hornqvist was known for playing with heart and scoring big goals, Howe is not quite as strong as Horny, but he is a more proficient skater. When the Penguins play in two or three seasons the team is going to be a rebuilt product. Tanner Howe is a player who can help you on the second line and play on special teams, while adding some sandpaper to the lineup. He is projected anywhere as high as 25 and as low as 50, so he could easily be off the board by pick No. 44.
Spencer Gil is a 6-foot-4 defenseman who is still growing into his body. He is effective at moving the puck and has excellent hockey IQ in the offensive end. He is underweight at 182 pounds but should bulk up the next couple of seasons. He is a bit on the raw side but has the frame and skill level to evolve. Gil could be a nice addition to a defensive corps, which will most likely be led by Owen Pickering in a season or two. Gil is projected in the 40-50 range and there is a very good chance he could be there when the Penguins select.
Luke Misa is a tad bit undersized but can play a fast paced game and has excellent vision in the offensive zone. He was able to orchestrate the Steelheads power play and just has the look and feel of a player that Mike Sullivan would love to have at his disposal. Misa could settle in as a solid No. 2 center behind Brayden Yager in several seasons. He is projected to go between picks 35 and 55 so he should be in the Penguins range.
These are just a couple of players that Draft Nation thinks could help the Penguins in round two. One thing is for certain, this is an important draft for Pittsburgh as they try to bridge the transition from Sidney Crosby to Brayden Yager, which is coming very fast.
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