2010 NHL Draft: Five Things the Pittsburgh Penguins Need

Since 2005, the Pittsburgh Penguins have become one of the most successful young teams in the league. They have gone to the Stanley Cup Finals in back-to-back years and came out with a title over the Detroit Red Wings in 2009. They have stockpiled their team with generational talents such as Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Marc-Andre Fleury.

But none of this means that the Penguins do not have any need to have a strong draft. There are still some holes in the Penguins' prospect system that can be plugged, and the 2010 draft class will be a perfect place to continue building for the future.

Here are five things the Penguins should address in the draft, scheduled to take place this coming weekend in Los Angeles.

As a bonus, I will throw in some prospects that fit each description and may be available to the Pens.

No. 1: Scoring Wingers

The Penguins have a lot of good wingers on their team going into the 2010-2011 season. Chris Kunitz, for example, has been a key part of the offense since being traded to the Penguins from Anaheim in 2009.

Pascal Dupuis has also proven himself since coming to the Penguins in 2008 and has scored some key goals, such as the Game Six overtime goal against the Ottawa Senators, which sent the Penguins to the next round of the 2010 playoffs.

However, none of these wingers are under contract for the long term. For example, Dupuis’s contract ends at the end of next season, and popular left winger Matt Cooke may not be able to return for this season.

The Penguins have some solid wingers in their system such as Eric Tangradi, Nick Johnson, and Tim Wallace, but Tangradi is one of the few that can develop into a true NHL star.

Possible draft choices: Austin Watson, John McFarland, and Charlie Coyle

No. 2: Enforcers

The Penguins have several players such as Max Talbot, Brooks Orpik, and Eric Godard who are not afraid to drop the gloves as needed. Godard is considered the Pens’ enforcer, but does not always play during the season.

In this year’s draft, the Pens should go after an enforcer who can support the AHL since the Baby Penguins lacked a true physical presence this year. The draftee should also be someone who can come up in the future and protect the team’s stars.

This player should be able to add some offensive ability, since the members of the team who do a lot of the fighting are lacking in that department.

Possible draft choices: Dylan McIlrath, Brad Ross, and Mark Alt

No. 3: Power Play Quarterback

Sergei Gonchar, who has been an integral part of the Penguins power play, is aging and may not return for the 2010-2011 season and beyond.

The power play has been a source of struggle for at least the last two seasons. It has been as low as 28th or 29th in the NHL and was one of the main reasons why the Penguins did not make a deep playoff run this season.

It does not really matter what position this player will play, but a defenseman is preferable to replace Gonchar. A good all-around player who is used in power play situations would also be a good pick.

Possible Draft Picks: Ryan Johansen, Tyler Pitlick, and Petr Straka

No. 4: Defensive Defensemen

Out of the seven defensemen that were on Pittsburgh’s 2009-2010 roster, only three are locked up for next year and beyond. Two of those defensemen, Kris Letang and Alex Goligoski, are of the offensive defenseman variety.

No disrespect to Letang’s and Goligoski’s efforts, but the Penguins could use a good shutdown defenseman in their system. Ben Lovejoy is the most NHL ready of the current prospects, while Robert Bortuzzo and Brian Strait are not ready to be regular contributors.

Other prospects, such as Phillip Samuelsson and Carl Sneep, have yet to enter professional hockey and will need to feel their way around in the system before they can make an impact.

Possible Draft Picks: Jonathon Merrill, Viktor Svedberg, and Brendan Rempel

No. 5: European Skaters

The Pens are not usually a team to draft Europeans. However, the intrigue of playing with a star like Evgeni Malkin will hopefully be enough to get a European skater excited about playing in Pittsburgh.

Furthermore, there is plenty of talent available from overseas, such as Vladimir Tarasenko and Alexander Burmistrov, for the Penguins to get their hands on.

Of course the Penguins shouldn't draft these players just because of their nationality, but rather because they have the assets and skills they are looking for to round out their prospect pool.

Possible Draft Picks: Patrik Cehlin, Teemu Pulkkinen, and Mikael Salmivirta