When the Pittsburgh Penguins return from the 2026 Olympic break, they will have five games before the 2025-26 NHL Trade Deadline. Given where they are in the standings, and the way they have played for the better part of the past two months, the Penguins seem to have positioned themselves as potential buyers, or at the very least, some sort of hybrid buy-sell team like they were a year ago.
While the idea of somebody like Jason Robertson or Robert Thomas is fun to think about and dream on, those are probably more offseason-type moves than in-season deadline deals. Especially as it relates to Robertson given the Dallas Stars current status as a legitimate Stanley Cup contender.
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The Penguins also already have a lot of depth at forward this season and probably have more good players than they can play at the moment. Rutger McGroarty, Avery Hayes and even Ville Koivunen are worthy of NHL playing time right now, but there just simply is not room for them.
The defense is where the Penguins might be in a position to make a small addition. Not only due to the injury to Kris Letang, as well as the fact Erik Karlsson is playing in the Olympics and is not getting any tine to rest, but just because they could use a little more quality depth at the position in both the short-term and the long-term.
Based on everything Kyle Dubas has said this season, and based on everything he has done over the past year-and-a-half, I would not anticipate them being in the market for older players that are obviously rentals.
But what about a younger player on an expiring contract that could potentially be re-signed?
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The ideal situation would be finding a young defenseman with team-control remaining beyond this season, but that sort of thing is probably easier said than done.
So let’s take a look at a couple of options that could be available and might fit what the Penguins are looking for.
Simon Benoit, Toronto Maple Leafs
Benoit is intriguing because he is still only 27 years old and is signed through the end of next season at an extremely manageable salary cap number of just $1.35 million per season. He is not going to do a lot to generate offense, but he has been a very solid defensive player this season and would bring some of the size and physical play that Dubas has tried to inject into the lineup this year.
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He’s a bottom-pairing player, but he is cheap, you get two potential playoff runs with him and you know you’re going to get an honest effort and a player that’s not afraid to get in front of a shot.
He has been given exceptionally one-sided defensive assignments (only 26 percent offensive zone starts) with the Maple Leafs allowing just 2.58 expected goals per 60 minutes of 5-on-5 play and only 2.32 actual goals per 60 minutes when he is on the ice. Both numbers are tops among Maple Leafs defensemen.
I could see there being interest, especially after the Penguins made a similar trade with Toronto at last year’s deadline to get Connor Dewar and Conor Timmins. That one worked out well.
Zach Whitecloud, Calgary Flames
Whitecloud has been a solid, if unspectacular player for a few years now in Vegas, and recently found himself as part of the Rasmus Andersson trade that sent him to Calgary. Given the state of the Flames season and their ongoing rebuild, there is no doubt he could potentially be on the trade block again over the next few weeks. He is 29, signed for more full seasons after this at $2.75 million per season, and could be a potential depth upgrade both this season and beyond.
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Again, you are not going to get much offense out of him, but he is a solid enough defensive player that can help keep the puck out of your net. The contract is going to increase the return in terms of assets, so it might come down to a matter of how much you are willing to pay this year and how much you like Whitecloud.
Mario Ferraro, San Jose Sharks
The problem with Ferraro as a potential option is that he is an unrestricted free agent after this season and would likely be a rental. But he fits into the age range the Penguins might be interested in (27) and could be a potential extension candidate.
Ferraro has been stuck on a bad San Jose team for years and has typically outperformed his teammates when it comes to suppressing chances and goals. He probably has more offensive upside than a player like Benoit, but might cost more in terms of assets and be at risk of just simply being a few month rental. That might not be their preferred path.
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Logan Stanley, Winnipeg Jets
Stanley is a massive physical presence at 6-foot-7 and over 230 pounds, but has never really fully established himself as a quality or consistent NHL Player until this season.
It has been a perfectly timed breakout as well, given the fact he is in a contract year and due for a raise after this season as a pending unrestricted free agent. I don’t know that I am willing to risk paying what he is going to get on the open market this summer, and I suspect he might come with a fairly high asking price from Winnipeg, but he is a potential defense option that should be available.
Braden Schneider, New York Rangers
I am going to include Schneider because he kind of fits the mold of what the Penguins might be looking for in a player — and the type of player they have looked to acquire at other positions — and will almost certainly be available.
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I am just not sure I actually want him.
Or how much I would want him.
Or what I would even be willing to give up for him.
He is still only 24 years old, but is a restricted free agent after this season and would need some sort of a commitment contractually.
Maybe if you acquire him you give him a look the rest of the season, and if you don’t like what you see you just do not qualifying him an offer and let him go.
He has size and talent, but none of it has been put together at the NHL level and he seems to have taken a step backwards this season. Maybe a fresh start helps? He would not be high on my priority list.
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