EP Rinkside 2021-22 Prospect Pool Rankings: No. 29-ranked Pittsburgh Penguins

Every year, the Pittsburgh Penguins want to compete for a Stanley Cup. It's understandable. When they're healthy, they can ice two of the best centers to ever play the game. The idea of a rebuild or even a reset, a now popular term around the league, hasn't really stayed in the minds of the Penguins's management long enough to become a plan. As long as Sidney Crosby and Yevgeni Malkin play at a dominant level, draft capital and prospects will mostly be used as currency in trades to boost, or more accurately, patch an NHL team that is slowly decaying but might just have one last run in its system.

The good news is that the Penguins have still managed to add and hold on to some young assets in the last few drafts, a few of which are now close to a potential NHL impact. If the team waits an extra year, they could have an influx of rookie talent in their bottom-six, and if they are lucky, one of those prospects could even turn into an effective complement to their centre superstars.