Preferred Outcome for the Pens Pick

[Selachimorpha]

Trying to gauge what we collectively prefer to happen with the Pens 2024 1st round pick. Top-10 protected in 2024, becomes an unprotected 2025 1st if the Pens keep it. Assume the Pens would keep their 2024 pick if it's 1-10.

Click to read more...

 

[landshark]

Trying to gauge what we collectively prefer to happen with the Pens 2024 1st round pick. Top-10 protected in 2024, becomes an unprotected 2025 1st if the Pens keep it. Assume the Pens would keep their 2024 pick if it's 1-10.

Curse of EK65 rolls on... unprotected next year please!

 

[cheechoo]

The high upside fanfic is the pick deferring to 2025 and them tailspinning into the bottom five.

I can cope myself into that logic if we don't end up receiving that pick this year. Old team, no cap space, mid prospects, even older core next year = ... where we were a few years ago right before the rapture.

But if you asked me today, I'd lean towards the bird in hand.

Totally satisfied with an 11th or 12th overall pick in this draft. Some real good talent will be at our disposal.

 

[Juxtaposer]

I think if we’ve learned anything from the 2009 playoff debacle, it’s that we should just let things play out how they’re meant to instead of wishing for one outcome or the other.

 

[Munnyro]

Totally satisfied with an 11th or 12th overall pick in this draft. Some real good talent will be at our disposal.

Yup. Even though it probably shouldn't matter, the player will be a year older than the mystery box in 2025.

 

[Stewie Griffin]

11th OA this year. There is a good tier of prospects in that range. If anything they're most likely going to finish between 10-20OA again next year as they won't sell the core and won't be good enough to win. By drafting a year earlier it speeds up how long we have to wait for them as well.

 

[one2gamble]

no preference, it is what it is and out of the Sharks control

 

[sharski]

2025 unprotected

#yolo

 

[coooldude]

It shouldn't matter, and I agree with everyone saying "let the chips fall where they may," AND, I've foolishly fallen in love with the idea of picking one of Yakemchuk/Iginla/MBN/Helenius/Catton/Jiricek/hell, Parekh even, with a second high pick in this year's draft, so that's what I voted for.

I def think they will keep the pick if it's top 10, otherwise, why protect it at all?

 

[Pinkfloyd]

I prefer 2025 unprotected but I'd be happy with either result honestly. Even if worst case is the Pens having a rebound year next year, I feel like those prospects are better odds for our team at least. We still need to think long game with our rebuild, imo. It's only this offseason where we may see some of Grier's picks turn pro or come over here from Europe. We need to build from within and manage to get a surplus of prospects with trade value so that we can start trading pieces to fill out the team with more long term solutions. We're still a bit off from that but I understand not wanting to wait much longer with all this losing.

 

[knu]

Id rather get started on developing a player now. Time is money.

 

[GRANdSharks]

Could go either way, Id love to get buium but he may just be off the board by 11 at this point, id imagine they try to retool similar to the sharks in 2015 so no guarantee 2025 will be high so who knows

 

[anthonyyy]

I think it's close, but I choose next year.

Let's say on average, next year's pick is going to be around #11. Best case scenario this year is #11. I'll take the chance on next year given that it's likely to be about the same pick as this year's best case scenario, with the chance that it's much better. Whereas this year has no chance to be better than #11.

 

[CaptainShark]

I think if we’ve learned anything from the 2009 playoff debacle, it’s that we should just let things play out how they’re meant to instead of wishing for one outcome or the other.

I agree with the „just let it play out“ attitude, it’s kind of a win/win, if someone would have told us after the EK trade that this would unfold, we would have been very happy.

Gun to my head, I would pick next year: better draft class + potential for an even higher pick

 

[Jargon]

The optimistic person in me thinks it doesn’t matter ultimately because this year or next, we’re likely getting a great player.

The Sharks fan in me expects that if we get the 11th pick this year, they’re going to win the lottery next year and draft a future superstar.

 

[sharks_dynasty]

There is also the chance that the Pens retool during the summer and have a good year next year. I’d rather have a pick this year if that’s the case.

 

[Juxtaposer]

I agree with the „just let it play out“ attitude, it’s kind of a win/win, if someone would have told us after the EK trade that this would unfold, we would have been very happy.

Gun to my head, I would pick next year: better draft class + potential for an even higher pick

Gun to my head I’d take 11-13th this year, but I wouldn’t want to make that decision because I feel like the simple act of making the decision negatively impacts the results.

I do feel like there’s an easy path for the Pens to improve next season if they stay healthy and continue to get solid goaltending from Jarry IF they’re willing to fire Sullivan and make some aggressive trades. I also believe that there is some value in the extra year of development from getting a guy in 2024 instead of 2025—imagine if we’d had a Timo Meier-caliber young player in our bottom-6 in the 2016 playoffs? Might have changed a lot given what a barren wasteland our bottom-6 was that year (especially after the Hertl injury).

 

[Hodge]

I'll take the potential marginal downgrade from 11th-15th OA in 2024 to 20th-25th OA in 2025 for the chance that Pittsburgh completely falls apart and hands us a top 5 pick.

 

[timorous me]

 

[Pete Taylor]

I voted for next year. I see all this talk of the pens retooling, but they have pretty much 0 good assests unless they are selling the core.

0 cap space to work with too, they are due. Let me see a top 5 pick from them next year.

 

[hohosaregood]

I'm not a big believer in Malkin or Letang at this point in their careers. They'll have decent depth but they lost a lot of the scoring prowess without Guentzel and with Malkin on the decline. I think the best they can do next year is like 12-16th in the standings. So like the 15-20 pick. We'll be in a good spot regardless of what they decide on.

 

[fasterthanlight]

If I had a choice, I'd take the yolo pick next year unprotected. When vegas implodes next year, we'll be picking 1/2/3, and that's after picking up celebrini this year.

 

[Great Makohead Shork]

Normally, I'm a bird in hand kind of person but I'd be sick if we came out of our rebuild without a superstar like Detroit. Rather gamble on the small chance it lands us Hagens. If we won the lotto last year and already had our franchise superstar, I'd root for the 11th OA pick this year, though

 

[cheechoo]

Normally, I'm a bird in hand kind of person but I'd be sick if we came out of our rebuild without a superstar like Detroit. Rather gamble on the small chance it lands us Hagens. If we won the lotto last year and already had our franchise superstar, I'd root for the 11th OA pick this year, though

That's a really good point. It's also why there is so much more weighted on this Celebrini lottery for us compared to the Ducks or the Blackhawks.

Smith is a nice piece, but we don't have a bonafide centerpiece of the rebuild as it currently stands. We still desperately need superstar talent. A lot is weighing on the 2024 and 2025 (and probably 2026) draft lotteries to swing our way.

So maybe it would ultimately be in our best interests for the chance at the homerun swing.

 

[wishman]

I just want to make next season more interesting. Would be fun to have a vested interest in both Pens and Knights being terrible. So I voted for rolling the pick.