Via sportslogos.net

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Welcome to the September edition of the DobberProspects 32-in-32 Series. This month, we explore each organization in depth, examining its recent graduates, risers, fallers, and top-20 prospects. 

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By: Tyler Ball

The Pittsburgh Penguins once again continued to try to retool their roster on the fly to give their core a chance to win a Stanley Cup. After last season’s major trade for Erik Karlsson, the additions this summer were less flashy overall. While the Penguins did not make the big splash for a superstar this summer, they still made a few notable moves.

Beyond the NHL Draft and free agency, the Pittsburgh Penguins made three trades that could impact the team’s success in 2024-25.

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Off-Season Moves

The first trade orchestrated by Pittsburgh Penguins GM Kyle Dubas was to acquire veteran forward Kevin Hayes from the St. Louis Blues in a salary dump trade. The Penguins also added a second-round pick along with the veteran. While Kevin Hayes’ best days are behind him at 32 years old, he still had nearly 30 points last season. This could be considered a fantastic move if he has a bounce-back season with a better-fitting team in the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Next, the Pittsburgh Penguins essentially traded away the guy who Kevin Hayes will be looking to replace Reilly Smith. Smith was brought in as a veteran forward who could be moved around the lineup and be a versatile scorer. Unfortunately, he didn’t quite live up to his prior seasons in the NHL, only providing the Penguins with 40 points. With a trade on the table to send him to the New York Rangers, the Penguins were able to bring back two draft picks, a fifth-round pick, and a second-round pick. Reilly Smith never really found his niche with the Penguins, and trading him while he still had value was the best-case scenario for all involved.

Finally, the Pittsburgh Penguins finished off the offseason trio of trades with the most flashy move, trading for former first-round pick Rutger McGroarty. The American forward was unhappy with his situation as a Winnipeg Jets prospect and requested a trade. The Penguins gave up a top prospect in Brayden Yager to get the deal done. Rutger McGroarty is a prospect with similar potential who is closer to NHL-ready than Brayden Yager. On top of that, Rutger McGroarty has a more versatile game than Yager and could fit in better in various spots.

Projected Opening Night Lineup

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Forwards

Beauvillier-Crosby-Rust

Bunting-Malkin-Rakell

Hayes-Eller-McGroarty

O’Connor-Lizotte-Acciari

Glass-Puljujarvi

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Defenseman

Grzelcyk-Letang

Graves-Karlsson

Pettersson-Aho

Ludvig

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Goaltenders

Jarry-Nedeljkovic

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The fringes of the Pittsburgh Penguins roster are still up for grabs as the NHL preseason gets underway. Of course, the top of the Penguins lineup will be highlighted by their stars, Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Erik Karlsson, and Kris Letang.

Looking further down the lineup, things begin to intrigue. New addition Rutger McGroarty should get an opportunity to start in the NHL after not wanting to go to the AHL in Winnipeg, which led to his trade request. Currently, the final spots on the roster go to new additions Cody Glass and Jesse Puljujarvi. Both are former top prospects who have struggled to catch on in previous homes. The Penguins could look to their upside as a reason to give them the edge.

With this roster construction, a player like Valtteri Puustinen, who played in 52 NHL games last season, loses his spot in favor of new faces. He didn’t quite show enough last season to warrant keeping his place in the NHL to begin the season. With a good showing in the AHL, he could earn his way back up to the NHL.

On defense, newcomer Matt Grzelyck immediately steps into a top-four role alongside Kris Letang. The rest of the lineup stays similar to last year, with Sebastian Aho coming in on the third pair. All eyes will be on Ryan Graves this season. After a somewhat disappointing first season with the Penguins, bigger and better things will be expected of him next to Erik Karlsson in 2024-25.

Graduating Players

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CHL to AHL/NHL

Owen Pickering

The Penguin’s 2022 first-round pick makes his long-awaited jump to professional hockey in 2024-25. After spending his junior career with the Swift Current Broncos in the WHL, Pickering will finally have the chance to show his potential fit on the Penguins roster. Pickering remained the same player throughout his junior career, a reliable minute-eating two-way defenseman. With the size and skating that Pickering possesses, it will be interesting to see if his jump to pro hockey is easier than that of some of his peers.

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NCAA to AHL/NHL

Rutger McGroarty

The most anticipated graduate this season is University of Michigan product Rutger McGroarty. After the Winnipeg Jets trade was completed, Rutger McGroarty signed his first NHL contract. In 2023-24, Rutger McGroarty continued to show why he should’ve been drafted higher, putting up 52 points in 36 NCAA games and another nine points at the World Juniors. McGroarty is a versatile forward who should make a major push for an NHL opportunity and a top-six role with the Penguins.

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Europe to AHL/NHL

Ville Koivunen

Finally, we have Ville Koivunen, who came over to North America after playing in his native country of Finland last season in the Finnish Liiga, where he was almost a point per game, with 56 points in 59 games. Koivunen’s hockey IQ and creativity have earned him this opportunity to fight for a place in the NHL. He will still need to overcome some poor skating habits, which will be magnified once he begins playing in North America. He will likely start in the AHL. How he adapts his game to the smaller ice at that level will indicate how quickly he could jump to the NHL.

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Risers

Sergei Murashov

Arguably one of the fastest-rising prospects in the NHL, Sergei Murashov has shot onto the scene as one of the top goalie prospects across the NHL. In 40 games between the KHL and the MHL, Murashov was excellent. At 6-2, Murashov isn’t the biggest goaltender in the world but uses his aggressive style and strong skating to his advantage. At just 20 years old, Murashov has plenty of development runway ahead of him and could be one of the best goalies in the NHL in his prime.

Mikhail Ilyin

A late-round flier in the 2023 NHL Draft has already begun to pay off. Ilyin got off to an incredible start in the KHL in 2023-24 and spent the entire season there as a 19-year-old. Now heading into his D+2 year, Ilyin is one of the Penguin’s most intriguing players. He combines good hands with elite hockey sense and good playmaking. All of this makes up for his clunky skating, which was one of the main factors in his falling on draft day. Another step up in his KHL production in 2024-25 could lead Mikhail Ilyin to earn an NHL contract.

Tristan Broz

Tristan Broz was expected to take a significant step this past season, and he did. The former second-round pick had been a good college player but needed to take a step toward dominance. In 2023-24, he did so by tallying 40 points in 43 NCAA games, including several clutch points during the NCAA tournament, as Denver went on to win the National Championship. Now, Broz will embark on his pro hockey career, beginning in the AHL with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

Cooper Foster

Cooper Foster was a bit of a head-scratching pick when the Penguins took him at the 2023 NHL Draft. In his draft year, Foster was a depth player on the Ottawa 67s, but the scouting staff believed he would take a step with more opportunity. That did end up being the case, as Foster’s point totals jumped from 36 points to 52 points. Foster is still an undersized forward who isn’t overly skilled and needs to find his niche to make it in pro hockey. Next season, he will return to the Ottawa 67s in the OHL, where he will look to take another big step and become a dominant junior hockey player.

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Fallers

Sam Poulin

Things continue to not go Sam Poulin’s way in his turbulent NHL career. After missing much of the 2022-23 NHL season while dealing with his mental health, the 2023-24 season was supposed to be a reset back to excellence for Poulin. While things did improve at the AHL level, with Poulin putting up 31 points in 41 games, the showing still isn’t what is expected of a 23-year-old former first-round pick. There is still time for Poulin to regain the hype he once had, but he needs to push for the NHL soon, or he will be lost in the shuffle of prospects younger than him.

Isaac Belliveau

Belliveau is a prospect that had a lot of intrigue surrounding him after his final year in junior hockey. During his junior career, he steadily improved, particularly offensively, ending his junior career in 2022-23 with 46 points in 55 games. However, things did not go his way when it came time to turn pro. Besides a two-game stint in the AHL in April, Belliveau was relegated to the ECHL, where he performed admirably with 38 points in 70 games. The lack of dominance in the ECHL and the lack of opportunities for AHL ice time has severely dropped his stock when it comes to playing games in the NHL someday. Adding several defensemen in the 2024 NHL Draft further cemented that Isaac Belliveau will not be part of the Pittsburgh Penguins’ future NHL plans unless a significant change is made.

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Organizational Depth Chart

(Combination NHL readiness and upside)

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Top 20 Fantasy Prospects

This section is intended to paint a picture of the Pittsburgh Penguins prospects whose current trajectory projects them making the most positive fantasy impact when they reach the NHL. Arrival date and NHL certainty have been considered; however, potential upside is the most important factor in determining this list.

1. Rutger McGroarty
2. Joel Blomqvist
3. Sergei Murashov
4. Ville Koivunen
5. Tristan Broz
6. Harrison Brunicke
7. Owen Pickering
8. Cruz Lucius
9. Vasily Ponomaryev
10. Jack St. Ivany
11. Mikhail Ilyin
12. Tanner Howe
13. Zam Plante
14. Sam Poulin
15. Emil Pieniniemi
16. Mac Swanson
17. Cooper Foster
18. Emil Jarventie
19. Joona Vaisanen
20. Kalle Kangas

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Thanks again for reading my thoughts on the Pittsburgh Penguins’ future. Follow me on X @TylerBall497 for continued coverage throughout the upcoming NHL season.