The NHL Entry Draft is just a day away and the Pittsburgh Penguins are looking to be as active as they can be.
However, the Pittsburgh Penguins don’t go on the clock until the 53rd pick. If you think back to the trade at the deadline that netted us Derrick Brassard from the Ottawa Senators, you’ll recall that we sent our first round pick this year, which would have been #22, to the Sens.
#53 isn’t all that great, it’s actually in the second round which starts Saturday. But hey, what can we do about it?
Well there’s always the option of trading up to get a better pick in the draft. But do the Penguins need to that? Should we even think about it? And what would we send back?
The Necessity of a First Round Pick
I know the questions about trading up have been looming for quite some time. This year’s draft is a very deep draft, especially after last year’s sub par draft. This year’s first round is supposed to be overflowing with high potential players, and I am sure the Penguins want to get a piece of that.
Pittsburgh Penguins
But at the same time, we have to think if we really need to move up. We are a contending team right now. We want to win now, worry about the future later. Yes, a draft pick would set us up in the future, but I don’t think we should at the expense of our current core.
What Can We Trade?
I think we should stay away from trading away current roster players. It’s best if we focus on acquiring players that can step in and help our team win a Cup this season rather than later.
However, this doesn’t mean I don’t think we should try to move up at all. If the Pens could package say, their second rounder plus a pick in a later round like the third, I would do that deal. Otherwise, I would wait until we get called at #53.