The sun is setting on an incredible era of Pittsburgh Penguins hockey. After making the playoffs for 16 straight seasons and winning Stanley Cups in 2009, 2016 and 2017 on the backs of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, and Marc-Andre Fleury, they are now headed for their third consecutive playoff absence.
Stretches like this make the writing on the wall far easier to read and it seems as though the Penguins have accepted their fate as sellers come March 7th. The likeliest offensive piece to be moved is veteran right winger Rickard Rakell. The 31-year-old right shot scorer has quietly put together one of the finest seasons of his career. In 60 games played, Rakell has 25 goals, 24 assists and 49 points. That puts him at a 66-point pace, which would represent the second highest point total of his career.
The Los Angeles Kings are reportedly looking for a scoring winger that can boost their power play and overall offense. Rakell could be a seamless fit and frankly, it would be a surprise if the Kings didn’t at least make a call to Penguins GM Kyle Dubas.
WHY IT WORKS
Like Jonathan Marchessault, Rakell is a right shot scoring forward that can produce on the power play. Rakell has 5 goals and 12 points on the man advantage. That’s only two shy of the team lead on the Kings. Important to note that two seasons ago, Rakell registered 11 power play goals with the Penguins.
Additionally, if Adrian Kempe permanently moves off of Anze Kopitar’s wing, the latter will need some support. Rakell could slide into Kempe’s spot, giving the Kings scoring threats on each of the top three lines.
Looking at the cap hit (AAV), Rakell’s $5 million is manageable, especially considering the rising NHL cap. The Kings wouldn’t have to do much maneuvering to fit him in this season.
WHY IT DOESN’T WORK
Rakell has two more years left on his deal after this season, making salary retention from the Pittsburgh side a little tricky. It’s also not clear if the Kings are looking for a player with term left on his deal or if they’re strictly shopping for a single season mercenary.
The bigger question may be this: Does Rakell move the needle for the Kings? He will certainly make the team deeper, but is he the type of piece that puts LA over the first round hump?
WHAT WOULD IT COST
There has been plenty of chatter around the league about the value of 2025 first round picks. The prevailing theory is that GM’s will be far more willing to move those picks because the upcoming draft is perceived as “weak”. An educated guess on my part is that Rakell will fetch a first rounder from somebody.
The problem for the Kings is that they will host the 2025 NHL Draft in Los Angeles, and it would be fair to think that they would like to go to the podium in the league’s first decentralized draft ever.
Of course, we know what it WON’T cost.
THE OFFER
To Los Angeles: Rickard Rakell
To Pittsburgh: 2025 3rd round pick, 2026 first round pick (top 10 protected)
Is Rakell the type of player the Kings should be targeting? Let me know below!
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