Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas is about to become a very popular man over the next few weeks as The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta reported that the team is expected to be the top seller in the off-season trade market.
He wrote, “Erik Karlsson, Bryan Rust, Rickard Rakell and Ryan Graves are all up for grabs for the right price, and the Penguins may also be willing to take on a contract or two given their cap space.”
The team is headed toward a youth movement and has already leaked that they will not re-sign Evgeni Malkin at the conclusion of next season, per The Athletic’s Josh Yohe, so it is not particularly surprising that they would be looking to trade away any of the aforementioned players, all of whom are over the age of 30.
Rakell, Rust, and Karlsson were second, third, and fourth in points for the team last season, behind only the great Sidney Crosby. Still, the team is very much committed to its youth movement, looking to the future somewhat at the expense of the present in what can only be described as a complete rebuild.
Pagnotta expects one player to have greater interest than the others.
“Rust, to me, is most intriguing. His full no-movement clause expires June 30, end-of-day. He does not own any no-trade protection in the final three-years of his contract,” he said before adding that any contending team should want him on their roster.
The report does not name any team specifically, but Rust scored 31 goals and added 34 assists this season, and a team looking for depth at the right wing position, should consider bringing him on board.
Karlsson, a former Norris Trophy winner at the end of the 2022-23 season, should also attract attention from playoff contenders looking to bolster the back end.