Kyle Dubas' Draft-Day Trade Plans Hinted at by Insider Josh Yohe

Kyle Dubas is a busy man, and with the NHL Draft approaching on June 27, it's about to get even busier. One of the major plotlines to follow is whether the Penguins will get the 12th overall selection from the New York Rangers or not.

The Rangers have the choice of retaining that pick, sending instead their 2026 first-round pick, presumably from a deep draft class, to Pittsburgh. To this point, no one in the Penguins organization has any idea what Rangers GM Chris Drury will do.

Drury has 48 hours before the draft to make up his mind, and Pittsburgh's plans are all on hold until he makes his choice. The Penguins are working on two draft plans in preparation for either scenario, according to NHL insider Josh Yohe.

Should they end up with both the 11th and 12th picks, some believe Dubas might attempt to make a bold move up the draft board. While that's definitely an option, he won't likely utilize both picks to trade into the top five.

The more realistic situation would see Dubas keeping both picks to add a pair of top-end prospects to the Penguins' system.

If he does end up trading one of the picks, Yohe believes that it will be for a young, established NHL player, however, players like that do not get moved by trade very often.

The best chances are, at this moment, that Dubas keeps both picks, but only if the Rangers move the 12th pick by the end of June. If not, they'll end up with it next season instead.