The Penguins made it official yesterday — Pittsburgh will keep their first round pick this year (15th overall). As a result, the Minnesota Wild are entitled to the Pens’ 2021 first rounder, no matter what it ends up being.
As we discussed earlier in the week, this decision was pretty much a no-brainer. It’s the Pens’ highest natural pick in 14 years, and a 2020 first round pick is far more valuable to where the franchise is right now than a pick next year when their core will be one year older.