Penguins fans are antsy to find out if the Rangers are going to give them their 12th selection in the first round of this year's NHL Draft or if they're going to hold on to it and hand the Penguins their 2026 first-round pick instead.
In the original trade with the Canucks, if the pick landed in the top 13, the Rangers could keep it and send their 2026 first-round pick instead. The Rangers must let the Penguins know 48 hours before the draft, if they're going to give them the pick this year or in 2026.
If the Rangers are smart, they will send the Penguins the 12th pick this year and hold on to their 2026 first-round pick.
The Rangers hiring Mike Sullivan is a major reason they should send the 12th pick to the Penguins
When the Rangers fired Peter Laviolette when the season ended, they zeroed in on Mike Sullivan and made him their new head coach for the upcoming season.
Sullivan is a very good coach and has some good players on the Rangers roster where he will know how to use them and will get the best out of them. It seems that the Rangers expect to be better next year, so sending the Penguins their 12th overall pick in this draft is what they should do.
They could use the 2026 first-round pick at the trade deadline in the upcoming season to upgrade the roster if they are in contention which they expect to be.
The Penguins will get a good player regardless of which selection they get from the Rangers
Regardless of if the Rangers decide to send the 12th pick this year or send the 2026 first-round pick to the Penguins, the Penguins will be getting a good player one way or the other.
If the Rangers send the 12th pick, the Penguins could select someone like Kashawn Aitcheson and add to their defense pool.
If the Rangers decide to send the 2026 first-round pick, there is a chance they could be not good next season, and the Penguins could have a serious chance at Gavin McKenna.