3 Trade Candidates for Penguins To Target

Everyone's talking about the Pittsburgh Penguins as a team to watch on the trade front. Names have been thrown around as to which Pens will be dealt as they look to re-make the team in a younger image. Marcus Pettersson, Richard Rakell, Noel Acciari, Anthony Beauvillier and Blake Lizotte are just some of the names being bandied about.

But what about what GM Kyle Dubas should be targeting in return? Dan Kingerski of Pittsburgh Hockey Now took on the task of listing three candidates that are likely targets of Dubas to bring back in a trade. They all have the same thing in common: Young players who have fallen out of favor with their current teams, who perhaps just need a fresh start elsewhere. And the Pens could be the benefactors of that.

1. Morgan Frost

The 25-year-old Philadelphia Flyers forward is a former first-rounder (27th overall, 2017), and plateaued in Philly in the 2022-23 season with a promising 19-goal, 46-point campaign. But his production waned last year, and he's firmly in head coach John Tortorella's doghouse this season, as his time on ice has dwindled.

The Penguins could give him a new lease on life in the NHL, just across the state.

2. Nick Robertson

The former 2nd round pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs was frustrated at his lack of opportunity in the organization, and asked for a trade this past summer, for a while refusing to sign as an RFA. He was eventually convinced that new head coach Craig Berube would give him a real opportunity, but Robertson has not capitalized, with just one goal in 18 games. Nobody else to blame now, and it really looks like a change of scenery is the 23-year-old's only hope of realizing his sniper potential. Could it be with his former GM Kyle Dubas, now in Pittsburgh?

3. Trevor Zegras

The former rookie phenom really seems to be out of sorts with the demands being placed on him with the Anaheim Ducks, and all his creativity and joy for playing the game seem to be M.I.A. Still just 23 years old, this is another player that really could use a trade, and the Penguins should be all over it.