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The Pittsburgh Penguins will have a lot of decisions to make regarding some of their young players before the puck drops on the regular season Oct. 7 against the New York Rangers.

As of now, they have 13 forwards, eight defensemen, and two goaltenders on their active roster. The forward battle situation will be interesting, especially since Rutger McGroarty and Ville Koivunen are not on the active roster as of now. But the battle on the back end may be even more intriguing.

And one Penguins’ defensive prospect has an uphill climb in order to assert himself onto the NHL roster out of training camp. 

Owen Pickering - selected 21st overall by the Penguins in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft - got a taste of NHL action last season, as he was called up from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS) midway through the season and played in 25 games for Pittsburgh. In those 25 games, he registered a goal and three points as well as a minus-5 to go along with an 14:49 of ice time on average.

The 21-year-old impressed so much in the first handful-plus of games that the Penguins elected to keep him around despite having the option to send him down - and he even saw some top-four minutes alongside Kris Letang. His play dropped off a bit toward the end of his stint, which ultimately led to his re-assignment to the AHL on Jan. 25.

But Pickering said that he is ready for full-time NHL action in 2025-26, and he’s going to come ready to prove he’s worthy.

"You never want to get sent back," Pickering said. "You always want to be in the NHL. I feel like I proved to myself that I can play in the NHL.

"I want to be full-time next year, I want to be [in Pittsburgh] the whole year. That's the goal."

While the 6-foot-5, 200-pound Pickering appears to be ready to make the jump to the NHL, it may not be that simple - especially with the current situation on the left side of the Penguins’ blue line. 

As it stands, the Penguins have four defensemen on each side of the blue line on their active roster. Erik Karlsson, Kris Letang, Matt Dumba, and Connor Clifton occupy the right side, while Ryan Graves and Ryan Shea as well as free agent signees Parker Wotherspoon and Alex Alexeyev have left-side roster spots. 

Pickering - a left defenseman - will already have to fight hard to make the roster because of the fact that the Penguins already have several candidates in the mix at the NHL level. Graves’s contract makes him difficult to move off the roster. Shea was just re-signed. And the other two were just signed out of free agency. 

Without some movement prior to training camp, it’s hard to see Pickering having a leg–up on any of those guys. And even Penguins GM and POHO Kyle Dubas said that the young blueliner needs to have a great camp in order to stand out.

“He's got to have a great summer,” Dubas said in his press conference with the media following the conclusion of the Penguins’ 2024-25 season. “We can't have him same as we had him go down, settling into a 12-13 minute a night role. He needs to come in and push his way into 17-18-19-20 minutes and earn that.” 

And in terms of Pickering potentially playing in a top-four role?

“He played for the team [last] year, but is he ready to step into one of those roles?” Dubas said. “I don't think so.”

But - even though Dubas may think that Pickering is not ready for an elevated role in the lineup, the one advantage he has is that there isn’t really anyone who is a lock to be playing in the top-two spots on the left side at this point, so those spots are literally anyone’s for the taking. If Pickering has a good enough training camp, he very well could be considered for one of those roles if he shows he is capable of handling it.

If the Penguins had their way with Pickering, he would likely be on the bottom-pairing at the NHL level and getting sheltered minutes next season. But, given the logjam situation, that may be a difficult to accomplish. They may think it’s better for him to be logging top-pair minutes in WBS rather than getting sheltered minutes in the NHL.

Regardless, Pickering will be a player to watch in training camp, and he probably deserves to start the season continuing his development on the NHL roster. Only time and performance will tell whether or not this ends up being the case, but rest assured that the Penguins are confident that Pickering will be part of their future.

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Feature Image Credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images

There was still some bad blood between the Detroit Red Wings and the Pittsburgh Penguins in the spring of 2010, considering they were less than a calendar year removed from their second straight battle in the Stanley Cup Final.

While the Red Wings' most recent Stanley Cup victory came in 2008, the Penguins unfortunately returned the favor in 2009, ultimately winning a tightly-contested Game 7 by a 2-1 final score and celebrating in front of a stunned crowd at Joe Louis Arena. 

The sight of Sidney Crosby receiving the Stanley Cup and triumphantly raising it above his head while letting out a jubilant bellow continues to live in the nightmares of Red Wings fans despite being over 16 years ago. 

The Penguins visited The Joe on March 22, 2010, and it was a new face in the Detroit crease that quickly made a name for himself. Jimmy Howard, playing in his rookie campaign after successfully supplanting Chris Osgood as Detroit's starter, not only made 26 saves as part of a 3-1 victory but also permanently won himself a spot in the hearts of Red Wings fans. 

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Late in regulation as the final seconds ticked off the clock, a frustrated Sidney Crosby immediately began trying to mix it up with Henrik Zetterberg. Howard clearly did not appreciate this, and immediately went after Crosby and gave him a face wash with his catcher as a scrum formed.

Jimmy Howard vs. Sidney Crosby 🧼 pic.twitter.com/GC91O1K9ZJ

— Red Wings Goals In Order (@RedWingsVids) July 20, 2025

Considering Crosby's firm status as a villain in Hockeytown, especially following the result of the previous season's Stanley Cup Final, the sellout crowd roared in approval for Howard, loving every second of the action. 

Howard tried to downplay his actions, saying he was simply coming to Zetterberg's aid.

“Just helping out a teammate, that’s all,’’ Howard said after the game. “It’s become quite the rivalry, and we stick together out there.’’

"(The game) was a little bit more special considering who it was. It’s turned into a heated rivalry. I wasn’t participating (in the last two Cup finals), but I was right there on the sidelines watching. Just being there, you got a sense of the rivalry." 

In the Penguins' dressing room, Crosby wasn't quite sure what to make of what had transpired and wasn't a fan of Howard coming after him.  

“I don’t know what he was doing,’’ Crosby said. “It was one of those things, a couple guys battling at the end. I knew the linesman was in there. I don’t know whether (Howard) wanted a free shot, but I don’t think it was any place for him to be.’’

The Red Wings and Penguins have experienced a downturn in their fortunes in recent years, and both clubs were battling for the final Wild Card playoff spot near the tail end of the 2024-25 season. 

The good news for Detroit is that they're trending back in the right direction, while the Penguins appear headed for a long stay in hockey purgatory. 

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Nico Daws is currently in an interesting position as the third-string goaltender for the New Jersey Devils. 

While his track record has shown he can be a valuable piece of the puzzle, trade rumors continue to swirl around the 24-year-old netminder.

Daws is entering the second year of his contract with the Devils, and for the first time, it's a one-way deal. Last season, he was on a two-way contract, earning $775,000 at the NHL level and $350,000 in the AHL. Now, he’s locked into an $850,000 NHL salary. 

With Jake Allen re-signed in free agency and Jacob Markstrom acquired as the starter, the Devils have solidified their goaltending duo. That leaves Daws in a difficult position.

On one hand, he could reprise his familiar role, ready to step in when injuries hit. On the other, he may not see any NHL ice time this season. If the latter scenario plays out, New Jersey may want to consider trading him to a team in need of goaltending depth.

Two potential landing spots stand out: the Vegas Golden Knights and the Edmonton Oilers.

Vegas Golden Knights

The Golden Knights are actively looking for a dependable backup. With Adin Hill firmly entrenched as the starter, Vegas knows a single goalie can’t handle the full load of an 82-game season.

They need a reliable, experienced backup who can step in at any moment, and Daws fits the mold. He has served in a similar role with the Devils, and prior to that, he was a dependable presence in the Ontario Hockey League. He’s been called up to the NHL three times and posted a .898 save percentage.

Daws could be an ideal low-cost, low-risk option to help shoulder the workload in Vegas.

Edmonton Oilers

Another potential fit is Edmonton, a team that’s been painfully close to winning it all but has struggled with goaltending consistency.

The Oilers have reached the Stanley Cup Final two years in a row, led by superstars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. But shaky performances in net have kept them from finishing the job.

Stuart Skinner was their starter last season and played well in the regular season, but was frequently substituted for backup Calvin Pickard in the playoffs. That rotation cost them stability in the crease when it mattered most.

While the Oilers may target a veteran like Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, that move would require significant assets. Daws, meanwhile, presents a cheaper alternative. He’s younger, has NHL experience, and could provide just what the Oilers need.

What’s Next?

Goaltending is always in demand, and Nico Daws could be a fit for several teams across the league.

Or, as he’s done before, he could once again step up and save the day for the Devils.

© Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images

The Buffalo Sabres would seemingly have work to do at the NHL level, as the club has not adequately replaced the offensive production of winger JJ Peterka. Peterka, who was second on the Sabres in scoring with 68 points last season, was dealt to the Utah Mammoth for defenseman Michael Kesselring and winger Josh Doan before the NHL Draft.  

GM Kevyn Adams may be investigating the last few options in free agency or the trade market, but the club this week has continued to fill holes in AHL Rochester.  After the signing of former NHLer Jake Leschyshyn to a one-year, two-way contract earlier this week, the club announced the signing of center Trevor Kuntar and defenseman Peter Tischke to one-year AHL deals. 

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Kuntar, a 24-year-old Buffalo native and son of former NHLer and longtime minor leaguer Les Kuntar, was a 2020 third round pick of the Boston Bruins, who played three seasons at Boston College and two years for the Bruins AHL affiliate in Providence. After scoring 10 goals and accumulating 113 penalty minutes in his first pro season with the Bruins, the 6’0”, 201 lb. center dipped to 12 points in 57 AHL games last season. 

Tischke, 29, played four years at the University of Wisconsin from 2015 to 2019, saw spot duty with the AHL Colorado Eagles for two seasons before playing two seasons with the Amerks and ECHL Cincinnati. Last season, the veteran blueliner had 13 points in 54 games with the Sabres ECHL affiliate in Jacksonville. 

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