When Kyle Dubas started the real transition to a retool a year and a half ago, obviously a big part of that entailed loading up the prospect pool. And for the first year or so of that process, quantity at times took precedent over quality. But now, as the Penguins look to start to come out of this retool, there's a clear shift in how the organization is looking at building up the prospect pool.

To understand the shift, one first has to go back to the Jake Guentzel trade. There was a lot of hand-wringing at the time that the Penguins "couldn't" get a first-round pick or a team's top prospect in the deal, but that's not the case. The Penguins could have taken a first, and they could have taken a more highly-rated prospect in the deal with Carolina. They had that on the table. But a higher pick would have come at the expense of losing one of the prospects included, and a better prospect would have come at the expense of a lesser draft pick. In the end, the quality ended up still being pretty exceptional, with Ville Koivunen exceeding expectations and the second-round pick becoming Harrison Brunicke.

In any deals the Penguins make moving forward, they won't look quite like that Guentzel deal. They'll be going for high-end prospects if they bring any in. 

In that same vein, don't expect the Penguins to actually use all of their draft picks they've stocked up on for these next three years, the most of any team in that span. Expect them to move some of those picks out in order to bring in talent via trades, and also don't be surprised if the Penguins package some of those picks together to move up at times in the draft.

The Penguins have done a lot to build up the number of good prospects in the pool. The focus now is bringing in more 'A' prospects, even if it means bringing in fewer prospects overall.

• Important to note when it comes to other roster-building moves: Dubas hates buyouts. Won't do them. He doesn't mind salary retention when it's appropriate, and the Penguins now have all three salary retention spots available.

• Bringing in a left-handed defenseman, likely via a trade, is a priority. But that doesn't mean that Ryan Shea won't be back at the NHL level. When he signed his contract extension this past season, it was because they expect him to stay at the NHL level. Dubas likes about Shea what he did about Marcus Pettersson, the "zero maintenance"  aspect of his work ethic and responsible play.

• On the right side of the defense, last I heard was that Dubas intends on qualifying Conor Timmins, which would give them the three they need on that side.

• Zero to worry about with Kris Letang going into next season. He's training like normal this summer. His heart surgery at the end of this past season was solely to repair the hole he's had his entire life and can be done through a vein in the groin, not open-heart surgery.

• The Penguins' new head coach will have the option to bring back any of their assistant coaches on expiring contracts in Mike Vellucci, Andy Chiodo and Ty Hennes. Hennes, out of anyone, has the best chances of coming back, even if it means his behind-the-bench role isn't quite the same. He's often called a "skills coach," but that's reducing what he brings. He's a doctor who also happens to coach hockey. His work in getting the Penguins' injured players back up to speed is one of the key parts of his job, and finding someone for a role like his with a background like he has can't easily be done.

• One of the more interesting restricted free agent decisions is with goaltender Taylor Gauthier, who has shown great potential and growth but is stuck behind Joel Blomqvist and Sergei Murashov in the order. Gauthier genuinely wants to be back, even if it does mean he ends back up in Wheeling at times. But I checked in this week, and his side has had zero communication with the Penguins about that happening yet. Still early.

• The Penguins only have two calls left to make on unsigned prospects: Forward Cooper Foster, who has until June 1 to sign, and forward Chase Yoder, who has until Aug. 15. If either one gets a deal, it's Foster. But it's not a great indication that it hasn't happened yet.

• The PWHL expanded to eight teams last month, adding teams in Seattle and Vancouver, with the proximity to each other being a huge bonus for rivalry and travel purposes. The Penguins want a team in Pittsburgh, and Kevin Acklin got a lot of credit for that push because he was so vocal about it, but the interest went above him. Fenway wanted a team, too. One holdup now is what the PWHL is looking for in NHL partnerships, and wanting to be able to share things like marketing and sales staffs with the NHL team in the city, and the Penguins just can't offer that right now.

• Congratulations to Matt Grzelcyk, who officially graduated from Boston University this summer, nine years after he left as a senior.

• Some Sidney Crosby lore to close out the Insider: When players come in for media interviews on cleanout day, they just trickle in and out of the locker room throughout the afternoon, wearing their normal everyday clothes. Crosby comes in for his turn, but not before taking off his shoes and lining them up neatly at the doorway of the Penguins' locker room. He explained, "I can't wear shoes in here."