The Pittsburgh Penguins are in between a rebuild around their intriguing young core and contending behind the veteran core of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang, and the time will soon come when they need to make a decision between the two directions.
While the team don’t have a clear cut superstar coming through the organization, adding the twins Liam and Markus Ruck to a prospect pool with Sergei Murashov, Rutger McGroarty and Ben Kindel fills the future in Pittsburgh with optimism. However, the talent goes much deeper than that, but on Tuesday, the organization made a surprise move, trading away a former fourth-round draft pick in a deal with the Anaheim Ducks.
Cruz Lucius Traded by the Pittsburgh Penguins
GettyPittsburgh Penguins GM Kyle Dubas.
That prospect would be 22-year-old Cruz Lucius, who was originally selected by the Carolina Hurricanes before being acquired by the Penguins in a blockbuster trade involving Jake Guentzel. In his time as a Penguins prospect, Lucius showed immense potential, and after four fantastic campaigns at the NCAA level with Wisconsin and Arizona State, many expected him to become a pro with the organization in 2026/27.
However, if he does now officially turn pro, it won’t be with the Penguins, as the team made a surprising deal on Tuesday, trading the signing rights to Lucius to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for future considerations.
Last season with Arizona State University, Lucius tallied 15 goals and 46 points in 36 games played, and while he’s ageing for a prospect that hasn’t yet made the leap to the professional level, he’s still got the potential to be a very good player at the next level. It’s unclear what his ceiling is and whether or not he’ll ever make it to the NHL with the Ducks or another team, but given the offensive upside, for a young team like the Ducks, a trade like this makes perfect sense.
Can the Penguins Build Around This Prospect Pool?
In 2026/27, the Penguins found great success once again as they defied pre-season predictions to return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but once again, it was veterans like Crosby, Malkin, Erik Karlsson and Anthony Mantha that led the way, with the team still not committing to the future.
However, the team got immense play out of rookie Ben Kindel, and now, the former first-round pick figures to be a huge part of the Penguins future, with other prospects likely to make their way to the NHL level on a permanent basis beginning in 2026/27.
Ultimately, Lucius isn’t the most highly regarded prospect around the NHL, but the offensive talent is still clearly there, and if he can find a role in the AHL this season with the Ducks (assuming he signs an ELC with the team), this may end up working out in a big way for Anaheim, but for the Penguins, it’s a trade that makes perfect sense.
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