The Penguins have 30 picks in the next 3 NHL drafts. How did they get so many?

While the 2025 NHL Draft is still months away, the Pittsburgh Penguins are positioned to be very busy from June 27-28 in Los Angeles.

The same could be said of the 2026 and 2027 drafts, because in the upcoming three years, the Penguins possess 30 picks in total, four of which are first-rounders, with 18 falling in the first three rounds.

The stockpiling of capital has been deliberate by general manager/president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas, who has aimed to restock the Penguins’ farm system and add young NHL talent.

All of that, as Dubas repeatedly has outlined, is being done in pursuit of returning the Penguins, who are sliding rapidly toward a third consecutive season without a postseason berth, “urgently” to Stanley Cup contention.

After Friday’s trade deadline, here’s a comprehensive look at how the Penguins acquired so many selections over the next three drafts.

All information on draft picks and their histories before becoming property of the Penguins are courtesy of Puck Pedia.

2025 Draft: 10-11 picks

1st round: 2 picks

The Penguins have their own first-round selection in addition to a conditional pick gained Jan. 31 in the deal that sent defenseman Marcus Pettersson and winger Drew O’Connor to the Vancouver Canucks.

Vancouver parted with the first-round selection, originally the property of the Rangers, after acquiring the pick in the J.T. Miller trade with New York earlier Jan. 31.

The pick is top-13 protected, meaning if the Rangers are set to draft 13th or higher this summer, the Penguins will instead receive an unconditional first-round selection in the 2026 draft.

2nd round: 1 pick

The Penguins traded away their original second-round pick in August 2023 as part of the Montreal portion of the three-way Erik Karlsson trade that included Jeff Petry and Casey DeSmith.

But they added a replacement second-rounder Friday by shipping winger Anthony Beauvillier to the Washington Capitals.

Last season, Beauvillier was part of two trades, both of which garnered one fifth-round pick in return. Following a 13-goal campaign with the Penguins heading into the trade deadline, Dubas managed to get a second-rounder.

3rd round: 3 picks

On top of their own 2025 third-round pick, the Penguins have two more, both acquired Aug. 13 of last year.

The first came along with winger Cody Glass (who was traded to the New Jersey Devils on Friday) in a deal with the Nashville Predators that also included a sixth-round pick in 2026.

Then, Dubas orchestrated a swap of picks with the St. Louis Blues, acquiring their third-rounder in ’25 and a second-round pick in ’26.

4th round: 1 pick (own selection)

5th round: 2 picks

The Penguins’ original fifth-rounder this year was sent to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Friday in a trade that returned defenseman Conor Timmins and forward Connor Dewar.

But they previously added two other fifth-round picks, the first of which was last July in the Reilly Smith deal with the Rangers. Then, on Nov. 12, Dubas secured a fifth-round pick from the Capitals for Lars Eller.

6th round: 1 pick (own selection)

7th round: 1 pick (own selection)

2026 Draft: 8-9 picks

1st round: 1 pick (own selection), with the possibility of another (the conditional first-rounder from the Rangers via Vancouver)

2nd round: 3 picks

Dubas added another second-rounder in ’26 on Friday by quickly flipping veteran defenseman Luke Schenn to the Winnipeg Jets less than 48 hours after acquiring him. That trade also added a fourth-rounder from the Jets in 2027.

The other second-rounder came via the aforementioned pick swap deal with St. Louis in August 2024.

3rd round: 2 picks

Dubas’ biggest blockbuster trade to date, the Karlsson deal in August 2023, also yielded a third-round selection in ’26 from the Sharks. The Penguins also hold their own third-round pick.

4th round: 0 picks

This pick was traded to the Predators for forward Tommy Novak and Schenn on Wednesday.

5th round: 0 picks

See above. This was the draft pick swapped with the Blues last August.

6th round: 1 pick

The Penguins’ sixth-round pick in ’26 was sent to the Columbus Blue Jackets last February in exchange for winger Emil Bemstrom. But the Glass acquisition last August brought in a replacement sixth-rounder.

7th round: 1 pick (own selection)

2027 Draft: 11 picks

1st round: 1 pick (own selection)

2nd round: 2 picks

Trading Smith to the Rangers last July also brought in a second-round pick in ’27 to supplement the Penguins’ own selection.

3rd round: 3 picks

The Penguins have their own pick plus another the Capitals sent them for Eller last November. Plus, Friday’s trade of Glass to New Jersey brought back a third-round pick in ’27.

4th round: 2 picks

Dubas snagged an additional fourth-rounder in ‘27 in the Schenn trade with Winnipeg.

5th round: 1 pick (own selection)

6th round: 1 pick (own selection)

7th round: 1 pick (own selection)

Notes: On Friday, Bemstrom and goaltender Tristan Jarry were assigned to and then recalled from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League in paper transactions to keep them eligible to participate in the upcoming Calder Cup playoffs. Defenseman Jack St. Ivany, one day after being recalled from the AHL under emergency roster conditions, was reassigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Saturday.