Penguins Trade Deadline: Buyers and Sellers?

[KG]

Circling back on the tax talk. Didn’t the ducks sign someone with a deferred contract recently. That way when they collect their pay they planned to be out of state?

Yes. Frank Vatrano just re-signed. He said that was his plan being he wont be living in California when he's done playing.

[KG]

Heard on 32 Thoughts, Freidman was questioning if KD is going to keep the Rangers 1st round pick or flip it for a younger now player. He said many GM's value the Rangers pick. We will see. He didn't speculate as to what players KD could target with it.

I also wonder if he could get a 1st round pick for Rakell or Bunting and trade the Rangers 1st round pick for a young now player. This way retooling the team with young talent while also adding future 1st round picks etc.

DK doesn't think KD is going to trade anyone big from the roster. DK is all excited about how this Pens team goal is the make the playoffs. Whoopie. Players goal is always to win now. But that's not what this team needs. I hope DK is wrong.

[FLPensFan]

Heard on 32 Thoughts, Freidman was questioning if KD is going to keep the Rangers 1st round pick or flip it for a younger now player. He said many GM's value the Rangers pick. We will see. He didn't speculate as to what players KD could target with it.

I also wonder if he could get a 1st round pick for Rakell or Bunting and trade the Rangers 1st round pick for a young now player. This way retooling the team with young talent while also adding future 1st round picks etc.

DK doesn't think KD is going to trade anyone big from the roster. DK is all excited about how this Pens team goal is the make the playoffs. Whoopie. Players goal is always to win now. But that's not what this team needs. I hope DK is wrong.

I thought this draft class was considered good, but I'm hearing it is a weak 2025 class, while 2026 is supposed to be much better. Supposedly, that's why we are starting to see a lot of 2025 picks traded, because teams value 2026 picks more.

Dubas himself said his mission, in acquiring assets is 1) Young NHL players 2) near ready NHL prospects 3) draft picks. He knows that #3 take much longer to turn into NHL players...likely past Sid's playing days. I'd love to see Dubas get one of Brandt Clarke or Simon Nemec on defense, dump Karlsson, and find a young NHL center that he can trade for, like Cozens, Pinto, etc.

As for DK, man if that article doesn't come off as flag-waving, cheerleading for the team, I don't know what does. Let's just pretend that, with this now being the 3rd year in a row we are in this position, that the switch is going to really flip this year??? Gimme a break. Too many teams ahead of them, too many games in hand, too many games lost in October and November that leads to them delusionally chasing an unattainable goal.

[KG]

Heard on 32 Thoughts, Freidman was questioning if KD is going to keep the Rangers 1st round pick or flip it for a younger now player. He said many GM's value the Rangers pick. We will see. He didn't speculate as to what players KD could target with it.

I also wonder if he could get a 1st round pick for Rakell or Bunting and trade the Rangers 1st round pick for a young now player. This way retooling the team with young talent while also adding future 1st round picks etc.

DK doesn't think KD is going to trade anyone big from the roster. DK is all excited about how this Pens team goal is the make the playoffs. Whoopie. Players goal is always to win now. But that's not what this team needs. I hope DK is wrong.

I thought this draft class was considered good, but I'm hearing it is a weak 2025 class, while 2026 is supposed to be much better. Supposedly, that's why we are starting to see a lot of 2025 picks traded, because teams value 2026 picks more.

Dubas himself said his mission, in acquiring assets is 1) Young NHL players 2) near ready NHL prospects 3) draft picks. He knows that #3 take much longer to turn into NHL players...likely past Sid's playing days. I'd love to see Dubas get one of Brandt Clarke or Simon Nemec on defense, dump Karlsson, and find a young NHL center that he can trade for, like Cozens, Pinto, etc.

As for DK, man if that article doesn't come off as flag-waving, cheerleading for the team, I don't know what does. Let's just pretend that, with this now being the 3rd year in a row we are in this position, that the switch is going to really flip this year??? Gimme a break. Too many teams ahead of them, too many games in hand, too many games lost in October and November that leads to them delusionally chasing an unattainable goal.

Yeah Bob McKenzie was saying that there is a drop off in this draft after the top 8 and most 2nd round picks this draft would be 3rd rounders in deeper drafts. Great! hopefully we can get into the top 8 and maybe we will deal the Rangers 1st. I don't see the Rangers staying at 13 or below so we would have their pick this year.

[dark_forces]

I read a rumor about Grzelcyk. They said three teams are showing interest—Winnipeg, Tampa, and Colorado. The expected return is a 3rd round pick. He's looked at as a cheaper option than other defensemen currently available.
I would imagination that he's probably gone and maybe Beauvillier. Other than that, I have a hard time seeing anyone else dealt off the current roster, unless we're willing to eat salary on Graves or Karlsson.

[Daniel]

I read a rumor about Grzelcyk. They said three teams are showing interest—Winnipeg, Tampa, and Colorado. The expected return is a 3rd round pick. He's looked at as a cheaper option than other defensemen currently available.
I would imagination that he's probably gone and maybe Beauvillier. Other than that, I have a hard time seeing anyone else dealt off the current roster, unless we're willing to eat salary on Graves or Karlsson.

If those three teams are interested and willing to give a 3rd, I'd trade him ASAP before he gets hurt. If it was up to me, I'd trade Rust, Rakell, Acciari, Bunting, Heinen, Glass, and Ned for starters. They can lose with them or without them.

[FLPensFan]

I read a rumor about Grzelcyk. They said three teams are showing interest—Winnipeg, Tampa, and Colorado. The expected return is a 3rd round pick. He's looked at as a cheaper option than other defensemen currently available.
I would imagination that he's probably gone and maybe Beauvillier. Other than that, I have a hard time seeing anyone else dealt off the current roster, unless we're willing to eat salary on Graves or Karlsson.

The Athletic had a piece yesterday about 4-6 teams and the perfect player fit for each of their needs. For Winnipeg, besides a center, they had a defenseman as a main need. They stated Logan Stanley is 6'7", plays physical and PKs, but lacks any real type of puck movement skills. The Athletic had Dumoulin as the perfect fit. Based on what they described, I immediately thought of Grzelcyk. They had Dumo for a 3rd also, so I could see Grzelcyk to WPG for a 3rd. WPG doesn't have much cap space and Grzelcyk is 400k cheaper than Dumo. Dumo is probably better defensively, but if the need to remove Stanley is because he lacks offense, Grzelcyk seems like the better play.

If there is an above average to exceptional offer out their for Rakell, Dubas needs to pounce. He's got to find a way to move one of Rakell or Rust, or even both Rakell and Bunting. Beauvillier will probably go too. I quietly wonder if a team that could use bottom 6 center depth could ask for Lizotte. He's played much better than his numbers, mainly because Sullivan shoved him on the 4th line after he started scoring to much as the 3C.

[ahawk9]

Grzelchyk and Beauvillier are my two picks to go as well. Acciari and guys like Heinen have term remaining and would be a harder sell. Maybe next year's deadline for them. I like Lizotte and hope they keep him but, like with pretty much anyone not named Crosby, if a great deal arises for him, then they should do it. I like Bunting and his game and would like them to hold onto him at least until next year's deadline. But, as I said above, if a good offer was on the table...

EK is a wildcard because of his offensive upside. In the right pairing (one with someone who can cover for his horrendous defensive mistakes), he'd really make a team more dangerous to deal with. Pens would have to retain but might be able to wrangle the retention into a first, or at least a prospect and a couple of 2nds.

All speculation on my part. I do love the intrigue of the deadline.

[FLPensFan]

Grzelchyk and Beauvillier are my two picks to go as well. Acciari and guys like Heinen have term remaining and would be a harder sell. Maybe next year's deadline for them. I like Lizotte and hope they keep him but, like with pretty much anyone not named Crosby, if a great deal arises for him, then they should do it. I like Bunting and his game and would like them to hold onto him at least until next year's deadline. But, as I said above, if a good offer was on the table...

EK is a wildcard because of his offensive upside. In the right pairing (one with someone who can cover for his horrendous defensive mistakes), he'd really make a team more dangerous to deal with. Pens would have to retain but might be able to wrangle the retention into a first, or at least a prospect and a couple of 2nds.

All speculation on my part. I do love the intrigue of the deadline.

Let's also remember they didn't end up retaining on Marcus Pettersson. So, if they retained, say 3.5M on EK65, he's a lot more attractive to another team at 6.5M versus 10M.

[EndO FanEra]

Heard on 32 Thoughts, Freidman was questioning if KD is going to keep the Rangers 1st round pick or flip it for a younger now player. He said many GM's value the Rangers pick. We will see. He didn't speculate as to what players KD could target with it.

I also wonder if he could get a 1st round pick for Rakell or Bunting and trade the Rangers 1st round pick for a young now player. This way retooling the team with young talent while also adding future 1st round picks etc.

DK doesn't think KD is going to trade anyone big from the roster. DK is all excited about how this Pens team goal is the make the playoffs. Whoopie. Players goal is always to win now. But that's not what this team needs. I hope DK is wrong.

I thought this draft class was considered good, but I'm hearing it is a weak 2025 class, while 2026 is supposed to be much better. Supposedly, that's why we are starting to see a lot of 2025 picks traded, because teams value 2026 picks more.

Dubas himself said his mission, in acquiring assets is 1) Young NHL players 2) near ready NHL prospects 3) draft picks. He knows that #3 take much longer to turn into NHL players...likely past Sid's playing days. I'd love to see Dubas get one of Brandt Clarke or Simon Nemec on defense, dump Karlsson, and find a young NHL center that he can trade for, like Cozens, Pinto, etc.

As for DK, man if that article doesn't come off as flag-waving, cheerleading for the team, I don't know what does. Let's just pretend that, with this now being the 3rd year in a row we are in this position, that the switch is going to really flip this year??? Gimme a break. Too many teams ahead of them, too many games in hand, too many games lost in October and November that leads to them delusionally chasing an unattainable goal.

Yeah Bob McKenzie was saying that there is a drop off in this draft after the top 8 and most 2nd round picks this draft would be 3rd rounders in deeper drafts. Great! hopefully we can get into the top 8 and maybe we will deal the Rangers 1st. I don't see the Rangers staying at 13 or below so we would have their pick this year.

That's a bummer. If the Pens end up drafting around the 10th spot, I wonder what kind of draft capital would it take to get into the top 5.

San Jose & Chicago already have 2 1sts this year, and Philly & Nashville have 3 1sts, so they may be willing to deal.

Would our 10th + the NYR pick (assuming it's 13-20) would get the job done? I don't think we have a 2nd this year, so unless a player is involved, I doubt a 3rd would be enough.

If we can't get in/near the top 7/8, maybe it is better to use the pick(s) in a trade for young prospects/players?

Hoping we end up close to or in the top 5 without having to trade up. But if we keep getting points, we're going to end up closer to the middle of the pack again than the top 5.

[EndO FanEra]

I read a rumor about Grzelcyk. They said three teams are showing interest—Winnipeg, Tampa, and Colorado. The expected return is a 3rd round pick. He's looked at as a cheaper option than other defensemen currently available.
I would imagination that he's probably gone and maybe Beauvillier. Other than that, I have a hard time seeing anyone else dealt off the current roster, unless we're willing to eat salary on Graves or Karlsson.

If those three teams are interested and willing to give a 3rd, I'd trade him ASAP before he gets hurt. If it was up to me, I'd trade Rust, Rakell, Acciari, Bunting, Heinen, Glass, and Ned for starters. They can lose with them or without them.

Agreed. I'd take the 3rd & run. I'd even take a 4th.

I just don't see him as part of the retool, so if you can get anything of value, take it.

[DeHaven162]

Grzelchyk and Beauvillier are my two picks to go as well. Acciari and guys like Heinen have term remaining and would be a harder sell. Maybe next year's deadline for them. I like Lizotte and hope they keep him but, like with pretty much anyone not named Crosby, if a great deal arises for him, then they should do it. I like Bunting and his game and would like them to hold onto him at least until next year's deadline. But, as I said above, if a good offer was on the table...

EK is a wildcard because of his offensive upside. In the right pairing (one with someone who can cover for his horrendous defensive mistakes), he'd really make a team more dangerous to deal with. Pens would have to retain but might be able to wrangle the retention into a first, or at least a prospect and a couple of 2nds.

All speculation on my part. I do love the intrigue of the deadline.

Let's also remember they didn't end up retaining on Marcus Pettersson. So, if they retained, say 3.5M on EK65, he's a lot more attractive to another team at 6.5M versus 10M.

I'm also not expecting a firesale. I've come around recently to the idea of leaving the young guys in WBS the rest of the year. They seem to be playing well for the new coach, they're winning, let them be in that environment. If we can ditch Beauvillier and Gryz, great. But beyond that, I'm not expecting much, because we still need to field a team while the kids are playing well in WBS.

[EndO FanEra]

Grzelchyk and Beauvillier are my two picks to go as well. Acciari and guys like Heinen have term remaining and would be a harder sell. Maybe next year's deadline for them. I like Lizotte and hope they keep him but, like with pretty much anyone not named Crosby, if a great deal arises for him, then they should do it. I like Bunting and his game and would like them to hold onto him at least until next year's deadline. But, as I said above, if a good offer was on the table...

EK is a wildcard because of his offensive upside. In the right pairing (one with someone who can cover for his horrendous defensive mistakes), he'd really make a team more dangerous to deal with. Pens would have to retain but might be able to wrangle the retention into a first, or at least a prospect and a couple of 2nds.

All speculation on my part. I do love the intrigue of the deadline.

Let's also remember they didn't end up retaining on Marcus Pettersson. So, if they retained, say 3.5M on EK65, he's a lot more attractive to another team at 6.5M versus 10M.

I read an unsubstantiated rumor recently that FLA is looking for a RD and has reached out to the Pens to inquire about Letang & Karlsson. The obvious resulting comments were that Letang has too much term and Karlsson too much cap hit. Duh.

I don't know if they'd be a serious player or not, but they don't have any picks in the first 3 rounds in 2025. They have their 1st/2nd for 2026 though, and I'd be happy to take one of those in a deal.

[KG]

Grzelchyk and Beauvillier are my two picks to go as well. Acciari and guys like Heinen have term remaining and would be a harder sell. Maybe next year's deadline for them. I like Lizotte and hope they keep him but, like with pretty much anyone not named Crosby, if a great deal arises for him, then they should do it. I like Bunting and his game and would like them to hold onto him at least until next year's deadline. But, as I said above, if a good offer was on the table...

EK is a wildcard because of his offensive upside. In the right pairing (one with someone who can cover for his horrendous defensive mistakes), he'd really make a team more dangerous to deal with. Pens would have to retain but might be able to wrangle the retention into a first, or at least a prospect and a couple of 2nds.

All speculation on my part. I do love the intrigue of the deadline.

Let's also remember they didn't end up retaining on Marcus Pettersson. So, if they retained, say 3.5M on EK65, he's a lot more attractive to another team at 6.5M versus 10M.

I read an unsubstantiated rumor recently that FLA is looking for a RD and has reached out to the Pens to inquire about Letang & Karlsson. The obvious resulting comments were that Letang has too much term and Karlsson too much cap hit. Duh.

I don't know if they'd be a serious player or not, but they don't have any picks in the first 3 rounds in 2025. They have their 1st/2nd for 2026 though, and I'd be happy to take one of those in a deal.

I would not be surprised to see Florida get creative and try to get EK. They are going for the repeat. Now is the time to go for it. Their GM Zito is also a gun slinger. I would think KD has already had discussions with EK's representatives about trying to move him to a contender etc.

[Pruezy11881]

Crosby being evaluated for an UBI...full sell/tank.

[EndO FanEra]

Grzelchyk and Beauvillier are my two picks to go as well. Acciari and guys like Heinen have term remaining and would be a harder sell. Maybe next year's deadline for them. I like Lizotte and hope they keep him but, like with pretty much anyone not named Crosby, if a great deal arises for him, then they should do it. I like Bunting and his game and would like them to hold onto him at least until next year's deadline. But, as I said above, if a good offer was on the table...

EK is a wildcard because of his offensive upside. In the right pairing (one with someone who can cover for his horrendous defensive mistakes), he'd really make a team more dangerous to deal with. Pens would have to retain but might be able to wrangle the retention into a first, or at least a prospect and a couple of 2nds.

All speculation on my part. I do love the intrigue of the deadline.

Let's also remember they didn't end up retaining on Marcus Pettersson. So, if they retained, say 3.5M on EK65, he's a lot more attractive to another team at 6.5M versus 10M.

I'm also not expecting a firesale. I've come around recently to the idea of leaving the young guys in WBS the rest of the year. They seem to be playing well for the new coach, they're winning, let them be in that environment. If we can ditch Beauvillier and Gryz, great. But beyond that, I'm not expecting much, because we still need to field a team while the kids are playing well in WBS.

I agree with keeping the kids in WBS. At this point, there's no reason to call them up, other than maybe a quick stint for a few guys just to travel/practice w/ the team and get a taste of the NHL life.

I don't expect a fire sale either, but I hope there is at least 3 or 4 moves, with 1 or 2 big names involved (Rakell, Rust, Bunting, Karlsson...). I could also see us taking back some cap dumps in a trade or for a pick like Glass/Hayes. They should be able to trade multiple players and still be able to ice a full roster without the kids.

[dark_forces]

Grzelchyk and Beauvillier are my two picks to go as well. Acciari and guys like Heinen have term remaining and would be a harder sell. Maybe next year's deadline for them. I like Lizotte and hope they keep him but, like with pretty much anyone not named Crosby, if a great deal arises for him, then they should do it. I like Bunting and his game and would like them to hold onto him at least until next year's deadline. But, as I said above, if a good offer was on the table...

EK is a wildcard because of his offensive upside. In the right pairing (one with someone who can cover for his horrendous defensive mistakes), he'd really make a team more dangerous to deal with. Pens would have to retain but might be able to wrangle the retention into a first, or at least a prospect and a couple of 2nds.

All speculation on my part. I do love the intrigue of the deadline.

Let's also remember they didn't end up retaining on Marcus Pettersson. So, if they retained, say 3.5M on EK65, he's a lot more attractive to another team at 6.5M versus 10M.

I'm also not expecting a firesale. I've come around recently to the idea of leaving the young guys in WBS the rest of the year. They seem to be playing well for the new coach, they're winning, let them be in that environment. If we can ditch Beauvillier and Gryz, great. But beyond that, I'm not expecting much, because we still need to field a team while the kids are playing well in WBS.

I agree with keeping the kids in WBS. At this point, there's no reason to call them up, other than maybe a quick stint for a few guys just to travel/practice w/ the team and get a taste of the NHL life.

I don't expect a fire sale either, but I hope there is at least 3 or 4 moves, with 1 or 2 big names involved (Rakell, Rust, Bunting, Karlsson...). I could also see us taking back some cap dumps in a trade or for a pick like Glass/Hayes. They should be able to trade multiple players and still be able to ice a full roster without the kids.

I don't think we'll see too many more Penguin trades. Grzelcyk perhaps, even Beauvillier, I'll grant you, but I just don't see a complete strip down. Now, this summer, is a different story, where we could witness the likes of Bunting, Rakell, and/or Karlsson leaving.

[FLPensFan]

Heard on 32 Thoughts, Freidman was questioning if KD is going to keep the Rangers 1st round pick or flip it for a younger now player. He said many GM's value the Rangers pick. We will see. He didn't speculate as to what players KD could target with it.

I also wonder if he could get a 1st round pick for Rakell or Bunting and trade the Rangers 1st round pick for a young now player. This way retooling the team with young talent while also adding future 1st round picks etc.

DK doesn't think KD is going to trade anyone big from the roster. DK is all excited about how this Pens team goal is the make the playoffs. Whoopie. Players goal is always to win now. But that's not what this team needs. I hope DK is wrong.

I thought this draft class was considered good, but I'm hearing it is a weak 2025 class, while 2026 is supposed to be much better. Supposedly, that's why we are starting to see a lot of 2025 picks traded, because teams value 2026 picks more.

Dubas himself said his mission, in acquiring assets is 1) Young NHL players 2) near ready NHL prospects 3) draft picks. He knows that #3 take much longer to turn into NHL players...likely past Sid's playing days. I'd love to see Dubas get one of Brandt Clarke or Simon Nemec on defense, dump Karlsson, and find a young NHL center that he can trade for, like Cozens, Pinto, etc.

As for DK, man if that article doesn't come off as flag-waving, cheerleading for the team, I don't know what does. Let's just pretend that, with this now being the 3rd year in a row we are in this position, that the switch is going to really flip this year??? Gimme a break. Too many teams ahead of them, too many games in hand, too many games lost in October and November that leads to them delusionally chasing an unattainable goal.

Yeah Bob McKenzie was saying that there is a drop off in this draft after the top 8 and most 2nd round picks this draft would be 3rd rounders in deeper drafts. Great! hopefully we can get into the top 8 and maybe we will deal the Rangers 1st. I don't see the Rangers staying at 13 or below so we would have their pick this year.

That's a bummer. If the Pens end up drafting around the 10th spot, I wonder what kind of draft capital would it take to get into the top 5.

San Jose & Chicago already have 2 1sts this year, and Philly & Nashville have 3 1sts, so they may be willing to deal.

Would our 10th + the NYR pick (assuming it's 13-20) would get the job done? I don't think we have a 2nd this year, so unless a player is involved, I doubt a 3rd would be enough.

If we can't get in/near the top 7/8, maybe it is better to use the pick(s) in a trade for young prospects/players?

Hoping we end up close to or in the top 5 without having to trade up. But if we keep getting points, we're going to end up closer to the middle of the pack again than the top 5.

In theory, I don't see much chance of SJ or CHI moving the 1st or 2nd overall pick based on where those teams are in their rebuild. Centers are going to be the prize this year with Hagens, Misa, McQueen, and Desnoyers all likely top 10 picks, with Frondell in the mix there as well. The consensus #1 is going to be Matthew Schaefer, stud #1 LD type. Both SJ and CHI could use him, but neither really needs a center:

--SJ has Celebrini as their future #1. They have William Eklund, Will Smith who also may or may not end up as NHL centers. They don't have any top end guys in the minors that I am aware of.

--Chicago has Bedard, but they don't have anyone else that has taken over as a #2 center moving forward. Will current guys Lukas Reichel or Frank Nazar step into a #2 role? If not, they have Oliver Moore still in the system as well.

If either of these guys get 1st overall, I expect Schaefer to be their guy, or maybe they go with Martone. Maybe they take BPA and still take a center, but I would say there is a chance they pass there.

Nashville at #3, they have very little young center depth. Nashville has 3 1st round picks, but I'm not sure they'd move out and pass up on a top center.

Then you have Seattle and Buffalo:

--Seattle has Berniers and Wright, plus they drafted Berkley Catton last year.. They could be willing to trade down a bit to pickup more draft capital.

--Buffalo has Tage Thompson, Dylan Cozens, Ryan McLeod, Jiri Kulich and Peyton Krebs as centers. They drafted Helenius last year in our spot. They drafted Noah Ostlund in the 1st round in 2022. They don't need a center.

Seattle at 4 or Buffalo at 5 seem like very good potential trade candidates. With Buffalo...even if they wouldn't give up the 5th pick, maybe Pittsburgh keeps their early 2025 pick, but moves the Rangers pick plus for one of the other myriad of centers in Buffalo's system.

[FLPensFan]

Grzelchyk and Beauvillier are my two picks to go as well. Acciari and guys like Heinen have term remaining and would be a harder sell. Maybe next year's deadline for them. I like Lizotte and hope they keep him but, like with pretty much anyone not named Crosby, if a great deal arises for him, then they should do it. I like Bunting and his game and would like them to hold onto him at least until next year's deadline. But, as I said above, if a good offer was on the table...

EK is a wildcard because of his offensive upside. In the right pairing (one with someone who can cover for his horrendous defensive mistakes), he'd really make a team more dangerous to deal with. Pens would have to retain but might be able to wrangle the retention into a first, or at least a prospect and a couple of 2nds.

All speculation on my part. I do love the intrigue of the deadline.

Let's also remember they didn't end up retaining on Marcus Pettersson. So, if they retained, say 3.5M on EK65, he's a lot more attractive to another team at 6.5M versus 10M.

I'm also not expecting a firesale. I've come around recently to the idea of leaving the young guys in WBS the rest of the year. They seem to be playing well for the new coach, they're winning, let them be in that environment. If we can ditch Beauvillier and Gryz, great. But beyond that, I'm not expecting much, because we still need to field a team while the kids are playing well in WBS.

Fire sale, no. But I expect/hope for another 2-4 moves. I think Grzelcyk will have a market for a 3rd. I'm hoping we get lucky and with retention, EK65 could be moved. I'm hoping we get a solid offer and Rakell gets moved. Those are the 3 moves I want to see. A last, final move could be a Beauvillier, Lizotte, Acciari type moved out.

In terms of kids, if we were to move out two forwards, let's not forget that Nieto is a scratch, Puljujarvi is a scratch, and we still have Poulin and Puustinen in the minors (who at this point are nothing but AHL/NHL tweeners). We wouldn't need to touch Koivunen, Broz, Ponomarev, or McGroarty this year, although, I wouldn't mind seeing Koivunen get a 5 game stint up here to reward him for his excellent play and see how he handles things against bigger guys.

[Michael74]

I'd be shocked if there weren't a couple more moves focused on accruing picks/prospects. Hopefully we add a significant pick or two for 2026.

[Pens4Life]

That would be awesome if Florida would want to trade for EK65 (with 25% retention) for 2026 2nd rounder and prospect.. less retention for 2nr rounder instead of 1st.

[FLPensFan]

Grzelchyk and Beauvillier are my two picks to go as well. Acciari and guys like Heinen have term remaining and would be a harder sell. Maybe next year's deadline for them. I like Lizotte and hope they keep him but, like with pretty much anyone not named Crosby, if a great deal arises for him, then they should do it. I like Bunting and his game and would like them to hold onto him at least until next year's deadline. But, as I said above, if a good offer was on the table...

EK is a wildcard because of his offensive upside. In the right pairing (one with someone who can cover for his horrendous defensive mistakes), he'd really make a team more dangerous to deal with. Pens would have to retain but might be able to wrangle the retention into a first, or at least a prospect and a couple of 2nds.

All speculation on my part. I do love the intrigue of the deadline.

Let's also remember they didn't end up retaining on Marcus Pettersson. So, if they retained, say 3.5M on EK65, he's a lot more attractive to another team at 6.5M versus 10M.

I read an unsubstantiated rumor recently that FLA is looking for a RD and has reached out to the Pens to inquire about Letang & Karlsson. The obvious resulting comments were that Letang has too much term and Karlsson too much cap hit. Duh.

I don't know if they'd be a serious player or not, but they don't have any picks in the first 3 rounds in 2025. They have their 1st/2nd for 2026 though, and I'd be happy to take one of those in a deal.

I would not be surprised to see Florida get creative and try to get EK. They are going for the repeat. Now is the time to go for it. Their GM Zito is also a gun slinger. I would think KD has already had discussions with EK's representatives about trying to move him to a contender etc.

The problem for Florida is cap space. Florida shows on Puckpedia as having 3.506M in cap space on deadline day. If you look at Florida's roster, they have nobody making over 1M AAV that they are going to want to trade. Trading any of their players that make over 1M AAV just creates another hole.

I thought about Pittsburgh retaining and washing EK65 through a 3rd team, but, there is a problem there too. SJ is retaining 1.5M on Karlsson. Salary retention rules state that no player can have salary retained by more than 2 teams. Since SJ is already retaining 1.5M, only one more team can retain on Karlsson. So either Pittsburgh retains 50% to get his salary down to 5M, or PIT trades him to a 3rd team to retain. Either way, the lowest his salary can get down to now is 5M AAV, which doesn't fit for Florida.

The only other way I see it working is if Florida was somehow able to trade Aaron Ekblad (7.25M, UFA after season) and get back a top 4 level d-man for him in a trade. That's probably very unlikely as well.

I think Florida's best bets for a RD is to hope that Detroit falters and misses the playoff, and can try and obtain Jeff Petry. Definitely not EK65 level, but there wouldn't need to be retention and he is a UFA at the end of the year.

A better option IMO....go back to Anaheim and see if they can re-acquire Radko Gudas. Gudas is making 4M AAV, and has one more season after this one. It FLA is going to give up picks and prospects for someone, Gudas makes a ton of sense after playing here for 3 years, leaving after their Cup final loss to Vegas. Get Anaheim to retain 25-50% for a future 2nd and a prospect, etc.

[FLPensFan]

There's a guy that has started doing Penguins podcasts on YouTube called Penguins Digest. I don't think this guy has any inside info and is just regurgitating news from around the league.

On today's episode, he claims that Sportsnet's Jason Bakula suggests Winnipeg is interested, and should offer a 2025 3rd plus a 2026 5th for Noel Acciari.

If that deal was on the table, I'd be running to the phone, driving Acciari to the airport personally.

[dark_forces]

Grzelchyk and Beauvillier are my two picks to go as well. Acciari and guys like Heinen have term remaining and would be a harder sell. Maybe next year's deadline for them. I like Lizotte and hope they keep him but, like with pretty much anyone not named Crosby, if a great deal arises for him, then they should do it. I like Bunting and his game and would like them to hold onto him at least until next year's deadline. But, as I said above, if a good offer was on the table...

EK is a wildcard because of his offensive upside. In the right pairing (one with someone who can cover for his horrendous defensive mistakes), he'd really make a team more dangerous to deal with. Pens would have to retain but might be able to wrangle the retention into a first, or at least a prospect and a couple of 2nds.

All speculation on my part. I do love the intrigue of the deadline.

Let's also remember they didn't end up retaining on Marcus Pettersson. So, if they retained, say 3.5M on EK65, he's a lot more attractive to another team at 6.5M versus 10M.

I'm also not expecting a firesale. I've come around recently to the idea of leaving the young guys in WBS the rest of the year. They seem to be playing well for the new coach, they're winning, let them be in that environment. If we can ditch Beauvillier and Gryz, great. But beyond that, I'm not expecting much, because we still need to field a team while the kids are playing well in WBS.

Fire sale, no. But I expect/hope for another 2-4 moves. I think Grzelcyk will have a market for a 3rd. I'm hoping we get lucky and with retention, EK65 could be moved. I'm hoping we get a solid offer and Rakell gets moved. Those are the 3 moves I want to see. A last, final move could be a Beauvillier, Lizotte, Acciari type moved out.

In terms of kids, if we were to move out two forwards, let's not forget that Nieto is a scratch, Puljujarvi is a scratch, and we still have Poulin and Puustinen in the minors (who at this point are nothing but AHL/NHL tweeners). We wouldn't need to touch Koivunen, Broz, Ponomarev, or McGroarty this year, although, I wouldn't mind seeing Koivunen get a 5 game stint up here to reward him for his excellent play and see how he handles things against bigger guys.

My guess—aside from sending players out—they'll also be bringing in some younger players (maybe change-of-scenery types) because they would need some sort of interim Grzelcyk replacement, not to mention Pettersson. That left side is looking rickety.

[Michael74]

There's a guy that has started doing Penguins podcasts on YouTube called Penguins Digest. I don't think this guy has any inside info and is just regurgitating news from around the league.

On today's episode, he claims that Sportsnet's Jason Bakula suggests Winnipeg is interested, and should offer a 2025 3rd plus a 2026 5th for Noel Acciari.

If that deal was on the table, I'd be running to the phone, driving Acciari to the airport personally.

Acciari has an 8 team NTC, I would imagine Winnipeg would likely be on it.