The Pittsburgh Penguins and their general manager, Kyle Dubas, have to carefully plan their next moves in free agency. For many experts, that will determine whether Sidney Crosby finishes his career with the team.
At the moment, despite having important names around Crosby like Rickard Rakell, Bryan Rust, Erik Karlsson, and Evgeni Malkin, the Pens are not in the same tier as the Stanley Cup contenders.
That’s why the big question is how to compete with teams like the Florida Panthers or the Edmonton Oilers with a roster where age has become a major factor. Should they rebuild to support Crosby or put their trust in one last run with the veterans?
Who might be traded from the Penguins?
Rickard Rakell and Bryan Rust remain players who could be traded in the coming weeks. According to a report by Chris Johnston, those two names are more likely to be on the block before Erik Karlsson.
“I still think the moves involving Rickard Rakell and Bryan Rust are far more likely in the short term for Pittsburgh. Although, those are two players as well that both have term left on their deals. The Penguins are in this spot where Kyle Dubas is obviously turning things over getting younger, but he’s not under particular pressure in any of those circumstances to have to do something. He has the ability to kind of set a price and wait for it. If it’s not there, there’s a trade deadline or there’s next summer.”
see also
NHL News: After signing Brad Marchand, Sam Bennett, and Aaron Ekblad, Panthers could reportedly make trade with Penguins for Sidney Crosby’s teammate
