Next season will present a prime opportunity for several Pittsburgh Penguins’ prospects to crack the NHL roster.
And one blueline prospect should get a pretty good look.
21-year-old defenseman Owen Pickering – drafted 21st overall by the Penguins in 2022 – got a small taste of NHL experience in 2024-25 and figures to take on a bigger role next season.
With the Penguins shorthanded on left-side defense, Pickering could play a crucial role heading forward. In 25 games with the Penguins last season, he registered one goal and three points and played some minutes in a top-four role next to Kris Letang.
Even though he experienced those top-four minutes last season – and did well for a while in them – Penguins’ POHO and GM Kyle Dubas is aware that Pickering is not quite ready to be thrust into a full-time top-four role.
“He's got to have a great summer,” Dubas said. “We can't have him same as we had him go down, settling into a 12-13 minute a night role. He needs to come in and push his way into 17-18-19-20 minutes and earn that.”
Dubas added: “He played for the team this year, but is he ready to step into one of those roles? I don't think so.”
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Given that declaration by Dubas – coupled with the likely departure of pending-unrestricted free agent Matt Grzelcyk – the Penguins are probably going to seek external help to bolster the left side on their blue line. Even if they do acquire a top-four defenseman, however, there will still be an opening for one of the top-four left defensive slots.
The other left defensemen on the Penguins' roster – Ryan Graves, Ryan Shea, and Vladislav Kolyachonok – have been logging primarily bottom-pair minutes and, ideally, would remain in a bottom-pair role, at least when Pickering has earned his way into top-four minutes.
In other words, the spot is there for the taking for Pickering, but – as Dubas said – he'll have to earn his way into those minutes. And he wants to work on continuing to be a player the coaching staff can rely on.
"Obviously, being up [in the NHL], you kind of learn what it takes.," Pickering said. "Coming from juniors and all the way in your first year pro, the coaches have to trust you. And that's something I feel like…