Key Condition in Marcus Pettersson Trade Could Help Penguins Land Generational Talent

The 2025 NHL draft class is projected to be rather average, and there is no superstar standout first-overall talent a la Connor Bedard or Macklin Celebrini.

However, the 2026 draft has Gavin McKenna, Connor Bedard's cousin, and one of the most exciting prospects since his older cousin.

McKenna is currently playing for the Medicine Hat Tigers of the WHL and has 30 goals and 73 assists for 103 points through 50 games.

Last year in his draft -2 season he had 34 goals and 97 points in 61 games.

For reference, Bedard had 51 goals and 100 points in 62 games in his draft -1 season.

Of course, this means that his younger cousin is actually outscoring him at this point in his development.

Now the Penguins are in a perfect position to draft him.

Not only does the team still have their own first-round pick in the 2026 draft, but they also could end up with the Rangers' first rounder as well.

This is because that pick has a condition on it. The pick is top-13 protected, meaning if the Rangers end up drafting in the top 13 this year, the pick will slide to 2026, and it will be unprotected.

If the NHL season ended today, the Rangers would be drafting 14th overall, meaning the pick would transfer to the Penguins, and they would thus have two first-round picks this season instead.

However, that position is precarious for the Rangers as they could easily go on a cold streak, falling into the top-13 of the draft.

If they do, and the Penguins get that pick for the 2026 draft, there will be incredible pressure on the Rangers to not be in the draft lottery because if they are, and their pick wins, their fans will never forgive them for missing out on a generational talent like Gavin McKenna.