Prior to another stomping at the hands of the Vegas Golden Knights, the Penguins were the subject of some pretty juicy rumors.
Lead NHL reporter Elliotte Friedman said during his Saturday Headlines segment that the Penguins have made it known they’re willing to trade veteran forwards for picks and/or prospects to make room for younger players.
Honestly, I love this. It’s the correct direction. This team might be bad, but being bad might actually be good for the team. Kyle Dubas can finally act how he probably prefers to act. If the team is subpar, he can jettison as many veterans as possible to actually rebuild the team. It would also allow players like Rutger McGroarty to get a real shot at the NHL.
What veterans would I trade? Rickard Rakell, for starters, has to go, though they might want to wait for his production to pick back up. I would seriously consider moving Blake Lizotte and Connor Dewar for late-round picks, as neither has performed like they did last year.
I would wait until the deadline, but Erik Karlsson should go to the highest bidder, which would open up a spot for Harrison Brunicke. Sam Girard is also an upcoming free agent who’s enjoying a good start to the year, so flipping him might be smart.
Two guys I would retain are Bryan Rust and Tommy Novak. Novak has performed well this year and could be a good third-line center going forward. Rust is a guy I think we need in the room with the younger players, and you don’t want to give Sid any reason not to re-sign.
Even if the Penguins turn their season around, ideally that turnaround would be centered around Sid, Geno and a bunch of kids.
What do you think Dubas should be doing following Friedman’s report?
