With the NHL Draft and free agency approaching fast, the NHL trade market is beginning to come into focus.
And it appears that there won’t be too many sellers on the market. That is, except one.
According to NHL insider Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic during an appearance on TSN 1050, the Pittsburgh Penguins are the only “true sellers” on the market this summer, while most other teams that finished near the bottom of the league standings are looking to improve.
If this is the case, that should put the Penguins in a prime position to sell off some of their veteran talent for a better return.
Presumably, Pittsburgh’s three biggest trade targets are forwards Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell as well as defenseman Erik Karlsson. Rust and Rakell each had 30-plus goal seasons for the Penguins in 2024-25, as Rust finished with 31 goals and 65 points while Rakell had 35 goals and 70 points – both primarily playing alongside Sidney Crosby on the top line.
Karlsson, 35, recorded 11 goals and 53 points to go along with a minus-24 last season, and his name has been in the rumor mill for a while.
Pittsburgh has already accrued more draft capital than any other NHL team for the next three seasons, as they have a total of 30 picks – including 18 selections within the first three rounds and 10 within the first two.
Given that the Penguins are in a “transitional” period, GM/POHO Kyle Dubas plans to continue to accrue assets while also trying to leverage some excess capital to acquire young talent. He has mentioned the RFA trade-then-sign market as something he may dabble in if the right situation presents itself.
Nonetheless, the Penguins as the lone “true” sellers in the market should put them in an advantegeous position ahead of the draft, where they are rumored to want to move up.
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Feature Image Credit: David Gonzales-Imagn Images
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