I’m not going to lie the title is a little misleading. The Penguins don’t pick until the third round and let’s be honest, none of us know how good those players actually are. Although, there are some basic things to look for that I think can help guide an opinion whether you’ve scouted hours upon hours of a player or just casually follow the draft.
The player better have good offensive numbers at lower levels if they are going to be able to move the needle later as they graduate to the next levels of hockey. Even defensive experts in the NHL usually showcase the ability to put up points in juniors or college. Even Max Talbot was a 100 point player in juniors.
Stay away from defensive specialists who put up like ten points. Let somebody else chase that nonsense. Why wouldn’t you swing for the fence on a smaller forward who has insane offensive numbers rather than some dude who at best will play in your bottom pairing? The draft is a crapshoot you might as well go all out for a player’s ceiling instead of their floor.
Speaking of those smaller forwards. Those skilled players are the ones that drop and the ones that you can get lucky with. If you’re the Penguins (or anybody) you want difference makers. If the player is a bust who cares. That happens all the time. Shoot your shot and you never know. The Penguins need to get lucky with the few picks they have. Go find some smaller forward with freakish stats.
The Penguins have a pick in the 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th round. They traded away their pick in the first round for Kasperi Kapanen. They traded away their pick in the second round to get rid of Marc-Andre Fleury. They traded away their seventh round pick to the Sharks last year to select Santeri Airola.
The most interesting part of the draft is probably going to be waiting on Jim Rutherford to make a trade, likely involving Matt Murray. The Penguins bought out Jack Johnson to create cap space and they didn’t do it to pay Murray. I don’t have high expectations for Murray’s return and that is fine. If the Penguins get peanuts for Murray I am not going to hold that against Rutherford because I am not one to favor paying goalies big money. The only problem would be if Murray is traded and the return is a player who doesn’t move the needle and takes up cap space. I’d rather get a 7th round pick than that. The Penguins have enough depth players chewing up cap space right now.
Speaking of Murray the Penguins might have gotten their second round pick they traded to Vegas from Chicago, but the Blackhawks couldn’t come to an extension agreement with Matt Murray
The Lightning are alledgedly asking a first round pick for Tyler Johnson. I don’t believe they have the leverage to do so.
At least they got his input before moving him unlike other GM’s
Tyler Toffoli appears to be hitting the market
What gets the Penguins closer to being a Cup contender again: Mike Matheson and Brandon Tanev coming in at 8M combined or having the cap flexibility to go and get a player like Tyler Toffoli to create three scoring lines?
To the draft junkies out there enjoy tonight.
Thanks for reading!
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