Team: 2023-24 Pittsburgh Penguins

Initial Creation Date: Feb. 25, 2024

Published: Feb. 26, 2024

Salary Cap Mode: Basic

There's no doubt the Penguins are going to be sellers this year. Although selling has a negative connotation to it, I don't necessarily believe it entails giving up on the season. If Pittsburgh wants to stay in the playoff picture, resigning Jake Guentzel is a must. Trading him would certainly produce a bunch of great assets, but none of those assets will contribute to this team the way Jake has been able to this year. This team is still trying to fight this season, while getting younger. I think that can be accomplished even while keeping Guentzel.

Dubas could decide to sell a lot of the current guys on the roster or he could do very little. Obviously team play will have a major effect on what he does at the deadline, but I believe he's taking calls on a lot of these guys. I'm going to breakdown the team based on whether they should be dealt at the deadline.

UNTOUCHABLE:

SIDNEY CROSBY | I mean this is pretty self explanatory. It's Sidney MF Crosby. He wants to retire here, he's still got it, there's no reason to get rid of him. There is no player, pick, or prospect that we would receive that would reconcile for the loss of Sidney Crosby. It is up to Kyle Dubas to keep this team competitive for as long as Sid is still here.

KRIS LETANG | Tanger is in great shape for his age just like Sid. There's very few defensemen that can sustain 25+ minutes a night. He is still a huge asset to this team. I'm sure he also wants to retire as a Penguin. He can certainly be a turnover machine at times, but I'm willing to argue that his various attributes make up for it.

ERIK KARLSSON | I think Karlsson has been as advertised this year. If you were expecting him to put up 100+ points this year, and be a lockdown defender, you are delusional. You probably weren't going to get one of those, and you definitely weren't going to get both. Even with the lack of success on the power play, his numbers still have been impressive. I think the Pens can still get more out of EK65.

EVGENI MALKIN| I'm personally not entirely against the idea of trading Malkin. It would certainly upset the core guys. He's beloved in the locker room and most Pittsburgh fans would be disappointed by his departure. His play hasn't been good enough for me this year. He's obviously slowing down, and his effort isn't always there. I've yet to see a lot of Geno Beast mode. But he's still a super valuable asset to this team. When he's hot, he's hot.

JAKE GUENTZEL | Like I said above, if you want to stay competitive you gotta keep Jake. I understand if there's risk of him not resigning here, seeing him walk in free agency would be a huge blow. Ideally we would get a big package for him, and then he'd resign here, but that probably won't happen. I think Dubas should really try to work out an extension, at a reasonable number, for a reasonable term. I'd be hesitant to do any more the 4-5 years. Jake has been a mainstay on Sid's line for years now, let's keep it that way. Make the kid happy.

TAKE THE CALL, BUT NOT TOO SERIOUSLY:

BRYAN RUST | I think Rusty could get some interest, but the injury history and term is a lot to take on for a team. There'd likely have to be retention on his $5.125m AAV contract, which would be pretty undesirable for the Pens due to his term. Rusty is a huge part of this team. Great Top-6 player and on special teams. He can do it all. Swiss Army knife for Sully.

RICKARD RAKELL: Raks is likely more desirable that Rusty. A little cheaper but has the same term. He scored his 6th goal of the year last night, and he's definitely had a tough go this year. The lack of consistency on the powerplay, both personnel and results, is probably a big factor to his lack of scoring. He scored 28 last year, and has proven he can score. Teams may like him because his cost will be lower compared to the play he is capable of.

DREW O'CONNOR | If the Penguins were to get rid of Smith or Guentzel, I think it would be imperative to keep O'Connor. He's been on fire as of late, and he has shown that he can score on all of the top 3 lines. I like the chemistry he is starting to build with Geno, which could increase both of their numbers. OC is defensively sound and is one of the team's best forecheckers. I think losing him would be a tough loss for Pittsburgh.

TRISTAN JARRY | Sunday was rough for Jarry. It makes you really think of all the times he's let us down, but he has been very good this year. He leads the league with 6 shutouts. He is also top ten in save percentage and goals against average. He just penned a pretty good deal this past summer and would be hard to part with. But the return would be insane especially with the current state of the NHL goalie market.

MARCUS PETTERSSON | MP28 has been the Penguins best defensive defenseman this year. The return for him could be pretty sizeable but I'd be very cautious about trading him. I think Marcus could be a Penguin for a long time.

IF THE RETURN IS RIGHT, GO FOR IT:

REILLY SMITH | I can tell he doesn't want to be here. Vegas really didn't want to part ways with him last year, but they had to. I think there are a lot of teams that would take Smitty and I'm sure he would love it. Vegas, Florida, and Carolina are some teams that are interested. His scoring hasn't been what expected, but he could still benefit any team he went to. If I'm Dubas, Reilly Smith would be the first player I'd trade at the deadline.

ALEX NEDELJKOVIC | Talk about a great add for the Penguins, eh. All good things must come to an end, though. Like Jarry, he's in the top ten in save percentage and goals against average. That is awesome at $1.5m/year. I think we could get good value from him. There are a lot of teams that need good goaltending, but can afford a huge cap hit. Looking into the future, if we were to move Jarry, resign Ned, at $3-4m, it would open the door for other opportunities to spend some cash. But Joel Blomqvist is on the come up, and could take the backup role. If the deal is right with Nedeljkovic, take it.

LARS ELLER | Lars has been my favorite Penguin this season. His effort does not waiver from night to night. We know what he can give us, and he's been a great 3C all year. I wouldn't like to move on from him, but I think the Pens could get something good in return. I'm not sure who would replace him if he were to leave. But, if the deal is good, take it.

NOEL ACCIARI | His offensive numbers have been nothing short of abysmal this year. I understand the role he plays, and he does it well. But, everyone needs to contribute. He brings good energy on the ice but I'm sure some teams might be looking to bring him on for the playoffs. I'd certainly contemplate moving on from Cookie at the deadline.

CHAD RUHWEDEL | I have a lot of respect of Ruhdy. He brings a consistent effort on a nightly basis. But, I could see him being a 7th D-Man on a contender. You wouldn't get much for him, but he might be included in some sort of a deal. Penguins are lacking righties on the blue line other than Tanger and EK65. Unlikely he gets moved.

UNLIKELY TO GET ANY CALLS:

RYAN GRAVES | He's has quite the rough year, but I think he could still bring something to the team. It's wishful thinking but a man can dream especially when that $4.5x6 is so tough to swallow. I don't think anyone is willing to take that contract with the play he's had this season.

VALTTERI PUUSTINEN | Puusty has been showing some promise, but I'd like to see more. I think we just need to give him more time at the NHL Level. The results likely won't come till next year. But, I'm willing to take that risk.

JEFF CARTER | I don't need to say anything else.

EMIL BEMSTROM | He actually looked pretty good on Sunday. That goal was nice, but got some puck luck for sure. He has a really good shot and could be a valuable piece to this bottom six. I still haven't seen enough of him to really know the type of guy he is. I've liked what I've seen.

MATT NIETO | I really like Niets. He brings great energy to the team and is a great penalty killer. We saw some offense from him early in the year, but it has certainly decreased. He can chip in occasionally, I can't imagine him getting moved.

JESSE PULJUJARVI | I haven't seen enough of him. I like what he's capable of. He's proved himself in the AHL and NHL. He brings great size. But, I'm not sure he's what we need now.

MATTHEW PHILIPS | I like his game. He obviously undersized. You cannot make it in this league at his size. Brad Marchand is an inch taller and fifteen pounds heavier, and has fought his tail off to stay in this league. Phillips is a skill guy and looked great in the AHL, but I'm not sure he's big enough for the big leagues.

Let's talk trades.

I think Reilly Smith is a must-move. He doesn't want to be here and we could get something good in return. I think Paul Cotter and a third is a achievable return if we retained some salary.

I think the Penguins could really use a stay at home defenseman. I'm not willing to give up on Graves yet, but that deal looks rough so far. I saw a Leafs ACGM trade Topi Niemela for Carrier. Ty Smith has put up identical numbers as Niemela in the AHL and he's NHL ready. He is 2 years older, and lefty, so I'd throw in Ruhwedel if Nashville was looking for someone to fill in the 3-RD role.

If Jarry can keep his numbers consistent, I'd be absolutely willing to take the gamble on trading Ned. Obviously Pickard is older and worse than Nedeljkovic. But, the return is worth it. We can deal with Pickard for the rest of the year, and we always have Blomqvist and Hellberg in the AHL. Get something out of Ned while you can, before he becomes too expensive or walks in free agency.

These moves give the Penguins plenty of cap space. They could get a rental like Duclair if they wanted. Duclair is the first guy that comes to mind. I know Dubas wants to get younger, and these moves may not seem like that. But....Cotter and a third is younger the Reilly Smith. Carrier is younger than Ruhwedel. Our future goalie, Blomqvist will have a very good shot at playing next year.

I really tried to be realistic with these. I think that Duclair deal is pretty unlikely, but if you have an extra 3m, try to use it if you can. Let me know what you guys think. I'm sure picks could be added here and there to some of these trades. Thanks for reading!

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