Prospect Info: 2025 DRAFT Discussion

[Ryder71]

I mean, if we pick 7th and the top 5 are gone, Eklund is a fine consolation prize. Our future top 6 LW depth would be nice and set with McGroarty and Eklund and then Howe as a 3LW. I don't have a problem with that outside of the pure fact that we desperately need centers.

My struggle will be if, at 7, you have Desnoyers, McQueen, and Eklund all available. I feel like overall, Eklund may be a slightly better LW than the other two are centers but the need is soooooo great at center.

If you take Desy or McQ, you can look to take a wing with the Rangers pick - Bear (ideal), Spence, Carbonneau, or hell even Brady Martin since he plays for Soo, lol.

Still, if you don't get into the top 5, the draft is kind of a bust from a "pieces to rebuild with". If you don't get a top 5 pick, the one or two we add are merely pieces to add to the core pieces you hope to get in the future.

Honestly with these imbeciles winning, we should wait and see how they do in each of the next couple of games. Five of the next six I believe are on the road. They need to lose and lose a lot.

 

[Empoleon8771]

Crosby has the ability, fitness and determination to play another 5+ years, it's just largely a question of what he wants to do. I think it's impossible to say because I honestly don't even think Sid knows how long he wants to play. Dude lives and breathes hockey, I don't even know what he'd do after he retires

I'm basically not planning on him being here after 2028 and think they will need an entirely new top-6 center group starting in 2028. If he's here for longer than that, great.

 

[Rudy Russo]

I mean, if we pick 7th and the top 5 are gone, Eklund is a fine consolation prize. Our future top 6 LW depth would be nice and set with McGroarty and Eklund and then Howe as a 3LW. I don't have a problem with that outside of the pure fact that we desperately need centers.

My struggle will be if, at 7, you have Desnoyers, McQueen, and Eklund all available. I feel like overall, Eklund may be a slightly better LW than the other two are centers but the need is soooooo great at center.

If you take Desy or McQ, you can look to take a wing with the Rangers pick - Bear (ideal), Spence, Carbonneau, or hell even Brady Martin since he plays for Soo, lol.

Still, if you don't get into the top 5, the draft is kind of a bust from a "pieces to rebuild with". If you don't get a top 5 pick, the one or two we add are merely pieces to add to the core pieces you hope to get in the future.

I think McQueen may be another Nolan Patrick. I went Eklund then Desnoyers if both players are available with the penguins first round pick.

 

[Tacitus Kilgore]

Crosby has the ability, fitness and determination to play another 5+ years, it's just largely a question of what he wants to do. I think it's impossible to say because I honestly don't even think Sid knows how long he wants to play. Dude lives and breathes hockey, I don't even know what he'd do after he retires

I'm basically not planning on him being here after 2028 and think they will need an entirely new top-6 center group starting in 2028. If he's here for longer than that, great.

I want to see him get 2000 points. It's basically guaranteed that he would have it by now, had it not been injured during his peak years.

 

[Gurglesons]

I dunno. He's been a hockey machine for about as long as he's been alive.

When he retires he'll either be a fulltime war buff and/or transition into the front office, but I'm not sure a guy who relishes being in the trenches like Sid will be looking to do that before his body definitively tells him he can't contribute at this level any more.

In an era where superstars who take immaculate care of their bodies like Brady and Lebron can still be impact players into their 40s, why not Crosby if health allows and the Pens are competitive?

I assume Crosby wants to start a family and get married.

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

I assume Crosby wants to start a family and get married.

I mean, there's nothing stopping him from doing that now.

 

[Tacitus Kilgore]

I assume Crosby wants to start a family and get married.

He's married to the game.

 

[Gurglesons]

I mean, there's nothing stopping him from doing that now.

Pretty sure it’s an off record thing that he won’t do this until he is retired.

 

[SEALBound]

I want to see him get 2000 points. It's basically guaranteed that he would have it by now, had it not been injured during his peak years.

If we get some real talent in place - like Misa, McKenna, DuPont, etc - and he plays 5 more years...it MIGHT be possible. He needs 315-ish after this season. That's a little over 60pts per season.

It would be great for a sport, IMHO, for Ovi to get the record and for Sid to be the only other player over 2k pts. Being robbed of his prime really hurts those chances though.

 

[eXile3]

No offense to Jagr or Thornton, but I don’t want to see a Sid in his 40s scoring 55 points a season. I think he’s done after this contract and rightly so.

Especially once he realizes Dubas sold him snake oil and they aren’t anymore competitive then they are now.

 

[Ragamuffin Gunner]

f***ing 5-1-0 since the TDL.

Not moving Grys and Rak is really gonna hurt them in the long term.

 

[Turin]

f***ing 5-1-0 since the TDL.

Not moving Grys and Rak is really gonna hurt them in the long term.

Just means they’re due to go 1-5 in the next six

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

No offense to Jagr or Thornton, but I don’t want to see a Sid in his 40s scoring 55 points a season. I think he’s done after this contract and rightly so.

Especially once he realizes Dubas sold him snake oil and they aren’t anymore competitive then they are now.

It's honestly kind of insulting to Crosby to insinuate he'd automatically be a 55 point player once he hits his 40s. This isn't some semi-star, its Sidney f***in Crosby, best player of his generation.

Jagr scored 66 points when he was 43, and in a lower scoring league no less. Ovie's the same age now that Sid will be when his contract ends, and he's still over a point per game.

There are no guarantees, but if Crosby can maintain his health and Dubas gives him legit scoring line talent to play with I don't see why he should hit some precipitous decline that other recent legends managed to avoid.

Anyway...maybe the Pens can draft one or two players that can help lighten his load over the next couple years. Imagine if Dubas worked some magic and nabbed Desnoyers/Frondell and Eklund.

 

[Ugene Magic]

If we get some real talent in place - like Misa, McKenna, DuPont, etc - and he plays 5 more years...it MIGHT be possible. He needs 315-ish after this season. That's a little over 60pts per season.

It would be great for a sport, IMHO, for Ovi to get the record and for Sid to be the only other player over 2k pts. Being robbed of his prime really hurts those chances though.

Something is telling me they are not gonna reach that kind of talent, it's nice to fantasize about, but their stance to get back to contention doesn't equal bottoming out.

I think they start out next year status quo after some offseason moves and draft and get to mid-season and adjust. I don't think they plan on tanking that hard, if at all.

So, this season is going to be the closest they're going to get for now.

Crosby would have cruised to 2000 points with his 268 left on the floor and him already over 700 goals probably saw him retire as soon as next year not needing to prove nothing else.

I mean, with that 268 he would already be past Jagr firmly in second place at 1952.

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

All due respect to Sid, but if he believed this team was gonna turn around quick and be competitive, well, he's kind of a gullible dipshit. This team was well into circling the drain before Dubas got here, and his first year kinda sealed the deal on the era.

 

[eXile3]

It's honestly kind of insulting to Crosby to insinuate he'd automatically be a 55 point player once he hits his 40s. This isn't some semi-star, its Sidney f***in Crosby, best player of his generation.

Jagr scored 66 points when he was 43, and in a lower scoring league no less. Ovie's the same age now that Sid will be when his contract ends, and he's still over a point per game.

There are no guarantees, but if Crosby can maintain his health and Dubas gives him legit scoring line talent to play with I don't see why he should hit some precipitous decline that other recent legends managed to avoid.

Anyway...maybe the Pens can draft one or two players that can help lighten his load over the next couple years. Imagine if Dubas worked some magic and nabbed Desnoyers/Frondell and Eklund.

It’s not insulting, it’s biology. Reaction times usually start to really degrade in the your late 30s, early 40s.

The idea an athlete can work really hard and fight off regression forever is fantastical. To my knowledge Selanne is the only player to average over a PPG at 40 or older in 50+ years.

So could he? Yes, but that’s unlikely, and not something really completely in his control. Even if you draft a Frondell, Eklund, Desnoyers, it will be at least 2-3 years before they’re effective hockey players.

The amount of unlikely things that would need to lineup for this to happen makes it really unlikely.

 

[Ugene Magic]

It’s not insulting, it’s biology. Reaction times usually start to really degrade in the your late 30s, early 40s.

The idea an athlete can work really hard and fight off regression forever is fantastical. To my knowledge Selanne is the only player to average over a PPG at 40 or older in 50+ years.

So could he? Yes, but that’s unlikely, and not something really completely in his control. Even if you draft a Frondell, Eklund, Desnoyers, it will be at least 2-3 years before they’re effective hockey players.

The amount of unlikely things that would need to lineup for this to happen makes it really unlikely.

The one constant it would take is Sid on line #1 with top wingers.

 

[eXile3]

The one constant it would take is Sid on line #1 with top wingers.

This too.

 

[Ulf5]

It’s not insulting, it’s biology. Reaction times usually start to really degrade in the your late 30s, early 40s.

The idea an athlete can work really hard and fight off regression forever is fantastical. To my knowledge Selanne is the only player to average over a PPG at 40 or older in 50+ years.

So could he? Yes, but that’s unlikely, and not something really completely in his control. Even if you draft a Frondell, Eklund, Desnoyers, it will be at least 2-3 years before they’re effective hockey players.

The amount of unlikely things that would need to lineup for this to happen makes it really unlikely.

3 players have averaged over a point per game in their 40s. Several well over 50 points in a season.

40-Year Old NHL Players - Regular Season Stats

40-year old NHL player stats. NHL player statistics segmented by age group.

www.quanthockey.com

 

[SEALBound]

It’s not insulting, it’s biology. Reaction times usually start to really degrade in the your late 30s, early 40s.

The idea an athlete can work really hard and fight off regression forever is fantastical. To my knowledge Selanne is the only player to average over a PPG at 40 or older in 50+ years.

So could he? Yes, but that’s unlikely, and not something really completely in his control. Even if you draft a Frondell, Eklund, Desnoyers, it will be at least 2-3 years before they’re effective hockey players.

The amount of unlikely things that would need to lineup for this to happen makes it really unlikely.

Sid would mostly definitely need more help than what Rust and Rakell can provide if his goal was PPG over 40. That's why I said you have to get some actual talent in FAST - like Misa or McKenna. Guys that will likely be in the NHL after their draft and likely be decent.

 

[Dominance]

We were never seriously going to finish bottom-3 and the difference between finishing 7th and 5th is a grand 13.5% vs. 17.5% chance at a top-3 pick. We’re in line to get one of Frondell, Eklund, Desnoyers, McQueen, or O’Brien which are all in varying orders for the simple reason that they’re all pretty much the same level of prospect - completely discounting the likelihood that someone above us makes a small reach for Smith, Mrtka, or someone less foreseeable. Just enjoy the games from here out, it really does not matter (especially when Uncle Gary hands us Misa).

Personally, I’m cheering hard for the Rangers to win out and end 14th-16th overall, too. The odds of that pick being miraculously top-5 next year are just so low and unpredictable, and amidst all the discussion of how long Crosby may be willing to play for, we need guys who can join the big team in another year or two. Dreaming of Misa, realistically fine with Frondell/Eklund/Desnoyers/O’Brien, and hoping to snag Lakovic/Bear/Martin in the middle of the first.

 

[Andy99]

We were never seriously going to finish bottom-3 and the difference between finishing 7th and 5th is a grand 13.5% vs. 17.5% chance at a top-3 pick. We’re in line to get one of Frondell, Eklund, Desnoyers, McQueen, or O’Brien which are all in varying orders for the simple reason that they’re all pretty much the same level of prospect - completely discounting the likelihood that someone above us makes a small reach for Smith, Mrtka, or someone less foreseeable. Just enjoy the games from here out, it really does not matter (especially when Uncle Gary hands us Misa).

Personally, I’m cheering hard for the Rangers to win out and end 14th-16th overall, too. The odds of that pick being miraculously top-5 next year are just so low and unpredictable, and amidst all the discussion of how long Crosby may be willing to play for, we need guys who can join the big team in another year or two. Dreaming of Misa, realistically fine with Frondell/Eklund/Desnoyers/O’Brien, and hoping to snag Lakovic/Bear/Martin in the middle of the first.

Except we’re trending hard to finish in a draft position lower than 7th…

 

[eXile3]

3 players have averaged over a point per game in their 40s. Several well over 50 points in a season.

40-Year Old NHL Players - Regular Season Stats

40-year old NHL player stats. NHL player statistics segmented by age group.

www.quanthockey.com

Three in the entire history of the NHL and one in the last 50 years. It’s just not likely.

 

[Malkinstheman]

 

[Turin]

So we should be rooting for the Rangers to be as bad as possible from here on out. They could hand us a very high pick because they don’t want to give us a lottery pick next year.