The Pittsburgh Penguins are currently sitting in a playoff spot. They sit third in the Metropolitan Division in what has been an incredibly tight Eastern Conference though about 25% of the season.
Even if the Penguins were to stay in the thick of the playoff race they will not be buyers in the classic sense. Kyle Dubas is going to stick to his big picture plan of building things back up through younger players. If anything, they are going to be sellers with some of their veteran players.
One avenue where they could potentially be buyers is if what they’re buying fits with the player type Dubas is looking to add. What if it were a 2022 tenth overall pick who might be on the outs with his current team?
Duck defenseman looking for a new pond
The only situation where the Penguins would be buyers is if they can get a player in their early to mid-twenties who is part of the solution moving forward. Enter the Anaheim Ducks Pavel Mintyukov
8. After back-to-back healthy scratches, word filtered that Ducks defenceman Pavel Mintyukov would like to be moved if he’s not going to play. He has fallen behind Jackson LaCombe and Olen Zellweger on the left side of Anaheim’s defence. Ian Moore, who had a strong camp, was elevated in Mintyukov’s place. This is the 10th overall pick in the 2022 draft, so Ducks GM Pat Verbeek will not be rushed into anything. Something to keep an eye on.
Mintyukov’s NHL sample
Coming into the draft Mintyukov was pegged as a sure fire NHL player.
This has shown to be true considering he has 149 NHL games played as a 21 year old. How good of an NHL player he can be is the question at hand.
Mintyukov profiles as more of an offensive minded defenseman. He had an offensive pulse at the junior level, which led to him being selected at 10th overall in the first place
HIs first NHL season Mintyukov was a .44 points per game player as a rookie defenseman, to me that is a pretty nice start to a career. He did so on a not so great Ducks team and half his minutes with Ilya Lyubushkin. All things considered not a bad start.
He has regressed, however. His play driving has never looked good via xGF%. He was 45.85 in 2023-24, 43.04 in 2024-25, and early on this year he is at 42.81. Last season his most common linemates were Drew Helleson and Jacob Trouba. Not the easiest assignment for a 20 year old. This year it has been Ian Moore and more Helleson.
In 154 minutes with Jackson LaCombe over the past three years Mintyukov has an xGF% of 50.4.
Under the hood there is potential for a capable offensive defenseman.
Trade value
Whenever we talk about trade targets you need to figure out the cost to acquire. It isn’t going to be a situation where your scraps are going to land a very recent 10th overall selection. Mintyukov’s status as a 10th overall pick (2022) will inflate his trade value.
As a result, there may not always be a feasible deal to be had depending on the team trying to acquire. Recent first round picks, especially in the top ten, will carry higher trade value than actual value a lot of times.
For the Penguins, they are not going to be aimless with how they use their early round draft picks. They aren’t going to blindly throw them at potential projects. They’ve shown this past spring that they can utilize those picks into encouraging prospects with Ben Kindel and Will Horcoff leading the way at the moment.
Here’s what the Penguins have in their draft pick arsenal moving forward:
The Penguins do have some extra second and third round picks to throw around the next few years. I imagine if they wanted to use them in a trade it would be for younger players who they have RFA control over and have some decent physical talent. Mintyukov might be one of those players.
It is no secret the Penguins left defense situation is dire. It is one of the organizational weaknesses. They do eventually need to address this. Here might be an opportunity to do so.
I think this is the type of player that will catch Kyle Dubas’ attention. He should reach out to see where the cost to acquire lies.
Owen Pickering is a former first round pick. He isn’t working out quite like the Penguins planned. Perhaps trading one project (Pickering more of a project) for another is something that can work for these teams. The Penguins would obviously have to add something like a second round pick if Pickering were one part of the deal.
I think a first round pick is completely off the table for Pittsburgh. The Penguins will swing higher if they ultimately use the first rounder as a trade piece. If this is what the Ducks are looking for then there’s not a deal to be had and sometimes that is the reality of the situation.
The Penguins and Dubas won’t know if it isn’t a fit if they don’t reach out. Mintyukov should be the type of player that should catch their eye, among other teams as well. It is something to track moving forward.
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Tagged: Anaheim Ducks, nhl, Pavel Mintyukov, Pittsburgh Penguins