The Pittsburgh Penguins could grab Nate Danielson if he is available when they pick at No. 14 in tonight’s NHL draft. AP Photo

The last time the Pittsburgh Penguins missed the playoffs prior to this year was Sidney Crosby’s rookie year in 2006. This was also the first time the Penguins missed the postseason in the careers of Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang. The trio has brought three Stanley Cups to the Steel City, but now it’s clearer than ever the Penguins need to find quality players to eventually turn the team over to.

Pittsburgh has tried to bring in pieces via trade to help stay relevant in the postseason picture and while that’s necessary, the Penguins need to add elite talent to their prospect pool.

In the past when Pittsburgh has used its first-rounders on pieces that could be seen as complimentary to its stars, those players have been busts or were later traded away for a player to help the current roster.

The last time Pittsburgh selected a forward in the first round was 2019 when it took winger Samuel Poulin, who has since played just three games and recorded one assist as an NHL player. Poulin is very far away from living up to his selection and he somehow is one of the Penguins top prospects.

Last year, Pittsburgh improved its defensemen depth by selecting Owen Pickering, who is well on his way to an eventual top-four role in the Penguins defensive corps.

With the hiring of Kyle Dubas as its new general manager, Pittsburgh could go in two directions: either building around its aging core — like he did with the young core in Toronto — or correctly looking to build for the future with prospects that have high upsides.

There could not be a better draft for Dubas to make his stamp on the Penguins retool, with plenty of top players available at No. 14, their first selection.

Pittsburgh will miss out on the top group of players such as Connor Bedard, Leo Carlsson, Matvei Michkov, Adam Fantilli, Will Smith and Ryan Leonard at forward. Top defender David Reinbacher will certainly be gone. However, the next tier of players to be selected has plenty of talent that might need a little more time to be elite NHL players which the Penguins could provide.

After selecting a solid two-way defender in Pickering last year, Pittsburgh should take one of the forwards with plenty of upside. The top forwards that could fall to No. 14 that should have Dubas running up the podium are Zach Benson and Oliver Moore. Both forwards are high-end skaters who are very capable of playing center at the NHL level.

If Benson was just a little bit bigger, there wouldn’t be a question of his status as a top-10 prospect in this class. Benson is a 5-foot, 10-inch, 160-pound forward for the Winnipeg Ice, who scored 36 goals and 62 assists for 98 points in 60 games. His skating skills are slightly above average, but they appear elite with the motor he possesses. He is relentless on the forecheck and constantly operating at a high speed with his decision making. Benson’s shot is nothing special, but he’s one of the best playmakers in the class and always seems to make the right decision with the puck. Away from the puck, Benson is just as good making him one of the best defensive forwards in the class. Benson is my No. 5 prospect in the entire class, but the NHL undervalues undersized talents which could see him potentially drop to No. 14.

Oliver Moore is the second-line center at the US National Team Development Program and is just a shade under 6-feet tall, weighing 176 pounds. Moore is without a doubt the best skater in the entire draft; his skating is only rivaled by that of Connor McDavid — it is seriously that good in terms of speed and acceleration. That speed is what makes his floor so high as at least a middle-six center with great transition skills and defensive responsibility which has been evident in the way he plays. Through 61 games at the program this year he scored 31 goals and 44 assists for 75 points. Plenty was generated by him due to the top line of the program being ruled by Smith, Leonard and Gabe Perreault.

Moore being relegated to the second line at the program lowered the public opinion on his ability to produce at the highest level, but if he is placed with capable wingers he will soar and make a team very happy.

However, it is a strong possibility those two gems go right before Pittsburgh selects; keep an eye on Detroit at No. 9, Vancouver at No. 11, Arizona at No. 12 and Buffalo at No. 13.

The next four centers Pittsburgh should be keen on are Nate Danielson, Brayden Yager, Calum Ritchie and Samuel Honzek.

Danielson is a 6-foot, 1-inch center from the Brandon Wheat Kings in the WHL, who scored 33 goals and 45 assists for 78 points in 68 games. He is a strong skating center with some size and a nice shot off the rush with mature defensive tendencies. Due to his size, NHL team’s like Danielson to be selected before Pittsburgh but he would be a safe choice to become a solid NHL forward.

Yager was projected at the beginning of the year as a lock for the top 10, but that has changed due to him not reaching the lofty goals set. He scored 28 goals and 50 assists for 78 points in 67 games, not using his shot in the way it should have been. Yager plays plenty away from the puck, which could see a shift to wing, but the shot and skating he boasts should carve him out a top-six role in the future.

Ritchie might be a little bit of a reach at No. 14 for some teams, with the former OHL Rookie of the Year scoring just 24 goals and 35 assists for 59 points in 59 games this year. However, what most did not know, Ritchie played most of the season dealing with a torn labrum that occurred in the Ivan Hlinka Tournament with Team Canada before the season. The 6-foot, 2-inch, 187-pound Ritchie limited the way he could play physically, but even with all of that he showed how well he thinks the game with his decision making with the puck. A long way from the shoulder is his the feet and while he’s not a trailblazer on the ice, Ritchie is a smooth skater with great four-way mobility. If this is how well Ritchie played with a torn labrum, him being healthy could be the steal of the draft.

The final option I would go with as Dubas is Honzek, the 6-foot, 4-inch and 185-pound Slovakian center who scored 23 goals and 33 assists for 56 points in 43 games for the Vancouver Giants in the WHL. He has the frame and mindset to use his physical gifts to his advantage in generating points. Honzek is also not a speedy guy, but is a solid skater for someone of his stature and his stickhandling is that of a smaller player.

Those four centers would be ideal to have some time to come slot in behind Crosby and Malkin as future replacements in the future, helping ease the transition into the next era of the Penguins.

If Dubas decides to just add pieces to help Crosby and Malkin, the forwards to note would be Perreault out of the USNTDP, Quentin Musty of the OHL, Riley Heidt in the WHL, Colby Barlow in the OHL or Matthew Wood in the NCAA.

Perreault, Musty and Heidt would be solid playmakers on the wing with great vision and hockey IQ, Perreault and Musty will be selected anywhere between Nos. 8 and 22, while Heidt would be available anywhere in the second half of the first round.

Barlow and Wood are both physically mature power forwards with massive shots and will be selected in that same range.

At No. 14 Pittsburgh should stay away from the defensemen, but if they want a home run for the future the defenseman with the highest ceiling would be the 5-foot, 10-inch, 170-pound, left-shot Russian Mikhail Gulyayev. After Moore, Gulyayev is the second-best skater in the draft and uses that to speed through each zone looking to set up players off the rush. His shot is nothing special, but he has the capability to be an elite puck mover cut from the same cloth as a Quinn Hughes, but it might take some time for him to get there. The fact is, if Gulyayev’s last name was Gordon and he grew up in Western Canada he would be a lock for the top 15.

With the depth in the draft, Dubas could make a variety of decisions at No. 14, but regardless it will be a look into the future of what the Penguins intend to do.