And now the Penguins will have two first-round picks in the NHL Draft coming up in a couple nights, and they'll be back-to-back at Nos. 11-12, courtesy of the Rangers.

Which is, of course, awesome. The sooner the youth arrives to complement Sidney Crosby, the better. Very obviously, I'd say.

Scattered thoughts on this:

• The dream scenario would be for Kyle Dubas to parlay the extra pick -- plus one or more of the bazillion other picks he's piled up -- into a higher position. For the foreseeable future, this organization's greatest single need will remain high-level skill up front. Again, very obviously, I'd say. And it's no fun fighting for that through free agency, regardless of cap space, and far more prudent to find it in the draft. 

But I'm not feeling that. 

Here are the 10 teams in front of the Penguins:

  1. Islanders
  2. Sharks
  3. Blackhawks
  4. Mammoth
  5. Predators
  6. Flyers
  7. Bruins
  8. Kraken
  9. Sabres
10. Ducks

Of that group: The Islanders didn't win a lottery, fresh of finally parting ways with a bunch of fixtures, just to give it away. The San Jose, Chicago, Utah and Nashville builds are far from finished. Philadelphia's not about to help out. And is it really worthwhile to move up to 7, 8 or 9 in the most crapshoot-iest of all drafts in professional sports?

But that doesn't mean it wouldn't be worth the calls and texts.

• Once more with gusto: High. End. Skill. Up. Front.

• I'm all in favor of a 2025-26 lineup that's still top-sixing with Sid, Bryan Rust, Rickard Rakell, Evgeni Malkin, Rutger McGroarty and Ville Koivunen, regardless of assignments. In addition to keeping the team competitive, the other four will elevate the two kids ... well, exactly as we witnessed over the final few weeks of this past season. Both McGroarty and Koivunen told me they felt like they learned, they improved with every shift they took with players of this caliber, doubly so on power-play duty.

That is player development. The kind few other teams can offer.

• I'm not going to state in some blanket way that I'd be opposed to Rust and/or Rakell being traded. Any such stance should always be contingent on what's being offered. But it'd damned well better be a blow-us-all-away offer.

• There's no advantage to the Penguins plunging off some figurative precipice this winter. Absolutely none. Ask everyone in Chicago and Detroit how much harder the climb becomes once that occurs.

• On a parallel note, there's no advantage to the Penguins alienating the resident living legend. Absolutely none. Some things are just bigger. And having Sid finish here, competitive and maybe even contending, means a hell of a lot more than amassing a few more futures.

• Think Washington: Draft 'em and develop 'em, pluck 'em from other places, introduce 'em to Alexander Ovechkin and start winning some hockey games.

• How much youth's enough?

Pretty fair question to ask in this context, yeah?

My answer's twofold:

1. Not what's here. As a wise individual within the organization told me not all that long ago when I remarked about the team's 10-5-2 finish to this past season, "We've got a long way to go." I wouldn't dispute that.

2. But how long? As in, how much more youth needs to pumped onto the Pittsburgh roster, specifically, before there's a push to supplement, bearing in mind that the NHL's salary cap permits the Penguins to spend to the max without slowing the build process in any way?

My sense from this fan base is that too many people are thinking of this from the Pirates' perspective rather than the Steelers', and that's a massive mistake. In a cap system, a team's now allowed to strip down even if it wants, too, because every cap system comes with both a ceiling and a floor. 

So if it's there to be spent, spend it. The kids won't need to be paid for quite some time.

• Start with a left-handed defenseman. It'll take way too long to bring one along internally, with the notable exception of Owen Pickering. And not having enough proficiency on that side will stunt all of the forwards, including the younger ones.

• More kids can come up. Load up the bottom six. No reason not to see, for example, Filip Hållander, Tristan Broz, Sam Poulin, even a much younger Tanner Howe if he really rises up, or a last chance for Valtteri Puustinen if he can ever be convinced to use that shot on a non-AHL rink ... and just keep going.

• That's just up front. I'm building a cabin on the hill on which I'm prepared to die on behalf of Harrison Brunicke if he has another camp like the one last fall. I couldn't care less that he'll be 19. Nothing in the Penguins' payroll environment, now and for the foreseeable future, prevents his NHL arrival from being a practical option.

• This is fun. Winning's more fun. Hop to it.