Last in a series.
First-round draft choices, especially early ones, are intended to replenish a franchise's talent pool and to give struggling teams a chance to add players around which it can build and improve.
That there still is an NHL franchise in this city, let alone one that is immensely popular and has been thriving for much of the past 30-plus seasons, proves that it can work that way.
Then again, not many teams are fortunate enough to have a Mario Lemieux or Sidney Crosby or Jaromir Jagr or Evgeni Malkin available when it's their turn to make a selection.
Players of that caliber are the exception, of course, and while the Penguins have had only a few total busts among their first-rounders, there were some who didn't perform to expectations.
As with the previous rounds, the Round 1 rankings that follow are completely subjective, with an emphasis on what the player did during his time with the Penguins:
C Mario Lemieux (1984). The Penguins counted on Lemieux to save the franchise when he first came to town. They probably had no idea he'd do it again a little more than a decade later.
C Sidney Crosby (2005). He was the most celebrated young prospect to enter the league in years, but still managed to exceed nearly all expectations. As with Lemieux, just imagine if he'd be able to stay healthy most of the time.
RW Jaromir Jagr (1990). Two Stanley Cups + five scoring titles = one No. 68 hanging in the PPG Paints Arena rafters someday.
C Evgeni Malkin (2004). Pretty amazing that a guy of this caliber could be just the third-best center a franchise has had.
G Marc-Andre Fleury (2003). There were some hiccups, but a lot more highs, for one of the most popular players ever to play for the Penguins.
D Brooks Orpik (2000). A rugged, responsible presence on their blue line for a lot of years, with a commitment -- on and off the ice -- that was contagious among his teammates.
C Jordan Staal (2006). How lucky were the Penguins to have someone like this as their No. 3 center for several seasons?
LW Bob Errey (1983). Never scored goals in the NHL the way he had in junior, but was a good blue-collar winger for a lot of years -- and a nice fit alongside Lemieux.
C Pierre Larouche (1974). A big-time offensive talent who played a prominent role on some entertaining teams in the mid-1970s.
LW Markus Naslund (1991). Seemed overwhelmed by some of the large personalities in the Penguins' locker room, but absolutely thrived after being traded to Vancouver.
C Mike Bullard (1980). He was a terrific point-producer on some wretched teams in the 1980s. Not having a game-winner among his 51 goals in 1983-84 might be one of hockey's most staggering statistics.
C Martin Straka (1992). A valuable, somewhat underrated, member of the supporting cast during two stints with the Penguins.
LW Greg Polis (1970). He was a reliable, if not spectacular, goal-scorer.
RW Craig Simpson (1985). Simpson would be higher on this list if he hadn't gone to Edmonton in the Paul Coffey trade after little more than two years with the Penguins.
D Doug Bodger (1984). Never become the defense-corps cornerstone the Penguins hoped he could be, but logged 16 seasons in the NHL.
RW Blaine Stoughton (1973). Spent just one season here before going to Toronto in the Rick Kehoe trade, so he did most of his goal-scoring elsewhere.
RW Rich Sutter (1982). The least effective of the six Sutter brothers who made it to the NHL, but still had a long career after failing to get a point in his nine games with the Penguins.
D Olli Maatta (2012). An earnest, hard-working defenseman who's had to overcome some unfortunate medical issues, including cancer.
RW Colby Armstrong (2001). A solid two-way player who helped to lift the Penguins out of their early-2000s funk before going to Atlanta in the Marian Hossa/Pascal Dupuis trade.
D Ryan Whitney (2002). He was mobile and had good offensive instincts, but prone to defensive lapses. A foot issue cut his career short.
D Zarley Zalapski (1986). Put together a nice career, but never lived up to the potential he had to be a difference-maker.
RW Beau Bennett (2010). Put in more time in the medical room than the team doctors.
RW Kasperi Kapanen (2014). It's taken six-plus years for him to appear in a Penguins sweater, but he'll finally get to prove whether he was a wise selection.
LW Samuel Poulin (2019). Could make a run at an NHL job during the coming season, and might well ascend quite a bit on this list before his career is over.
RW Blair Chapman (1976). Split his eight-year NHL career between the Penguins and St. Louis, and had a pair of seasons with 20 or more goals with each.
RW Aleksey Morozov (1995). Never developed into the goal-scorer the Penguins believed he could be during his seven years here.
LW Darrin Shannon (1988). Had a workmanlike career after going to Buffalo in the trade for Tom Barrasso.
D Jamie Heward (1989). Played four seven teams over the course of a nine-year career. The Penguins weren't one of them.
D Chris Joseph (1987). Lasted 14 seasons in the NHL, but never had the impact expected of a player taken fifth in his class.
C Chris Wells (1994). A non-factor in 54 games with the Penguins before being sent to Florida, where he filled a bottom-six niche for four years.
C Milan Kraft (1998). Put up a career-best 40 points in 2003-04, after which he returned to his native Czech Republic.
RW Konstantin Koltsov (1999). Had great speed, but his hands proved to be no match for his feet.
D Simon Despres (2009). Concussions brought his career to a premature end.
D Derrick Pouliot (2012). His offensive gifts convinced Ray Shero to claim Pouliot after trading Staal to Carolina. Bad decision.
D Joe Morrow (2011). Never played a game for the Penguins and has bounced between the NHL and minor leagues throughout his career.
G Gordie Laxton (1975). The Penguins envisioned him as their first homegrown goaltender who could solidify the position for years. He didn't.
D Stefan Bergkvist (1993). A tumor in his ear scuttled what could have been a solid NHL career.
LW Robert Dome (1997). Was supposed to be NHL-ready when the Penguins picked him. Turned out, he never was.
C Roger Belanger (1984). The Penguins projected him as a good bottom-six center but it never worked out, in part because of injuries.
These first-round choices never played in the NHL, and are listed in no particular order:
G Craig Hillier (1986)
C Angelo Esposito (2007)
C Garry Swain (1968)
G Steve Rexe (1967)
