MONTREAL — On the day the Penguins signed veteran defenseman Kris Letang to a six-year contract extension, they also addressed the blue line of the future in the draft.
With the 21st pick, the Penguins selected 6-foot-4 defenseman Owen Pickering.
Montreal native Letang stepped to the stage, along with his son, Alex, to make the selection. The moment represented not only a bit of a passing of the torch but also a shift in philosophy.
When Letang was drafted in 2005, the Penguins bet the somewhat undersized blueliner would showcase his elite skating and offensive upside. You could say that paid off.
In the new front office, led by general manager Ron Hextall and president of hockey operations Brian Burke, there’s been an effort to get bigger and more physical. That’s especially true on the back end.
After entering the Western Hockey League as just a ninth-round pick, Pickering went through a significant growth spurt. He’s still filling out that frame, as he’s listed at just 178 pounds. The left-shot blueliner who played on the Swift Current Broncos was named one of Canada’s top three players at the U18 World Championships.
Analysts say he skates well for his size with an offensive dimension. He's also known for his stickhandling. He posted nine goals and 33 points in 62 WHL games.
First-round picks have been few and far between for the Penguins of late. Since selecting Kasperi Kapanen 22nd overall in 2014, Pittsburgh held onto just one first-round pick. That came in 2019 when they chose forward Sam Poulin with the 21st overall selection.
Instead of looking to the future, former general manager Jim Rutherford spent draft capital and dipped into the prospect pool to acquire players who could help in the win-now window.
That process brought two Stanley Cup parades to Pittsburgh but also left them with one of the thinnest prospect pools in the league. No NHL team really drafts for need, especially in the second half of the first round. But Pittsburgh in particular was in a position to select any player they felt was highest on their board, regardless of position, because of their numerous needs.
The draft continues on Friday with rounds two through seven. The Penguins have selections in rounds four, five, six and seven.
Hextall traded the second-round pick to acquire Rickard Rakell at this year’s trade deadline and used a package that included a third-round pick to bring on Jeff Carter last year.
