Analyst Names 3 Trade Candidates for Penguins To Ship Out

The Pittsburgh Penguins have been battling to remain relevant the past couple of seasons, having been on the outside of the playoffs looking in. They still had belief that they could compete last year, and even went out in the 2023 offseason and acquired then-Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson.

Even the re-signing of Sidney Crosby this fall left some hopefuls believing (including Sid himself) that the team could make the playoffs.

But with another sluggish start to the season in 2024-25, sitting in 7th place in the Metropolitan Division at 5-7-2, some observers are starting to wonder when this team will finally throw in the towel and try to rebuild, or at least 're-tool'.

As Matt Larkin writes in Daily Faceoff on Thursday, "it's time for the Penguins to stop fighting the inevitable and accept that it's over. He suggests three players that GM Kyle Dubas could look to trade this season to bring in some nice assets.

Marcus Petterson

The 28-year-old blueliner has been a solid defender for the Penguins for years now, averaging 21 minutes of ice time the previous two seasons with a plus/minus rating of +32 over that time. But he's an unrestricted free agent after the current campaign, and according to a recent report, "the Penguins have not begun even the slightest of preliminary talks with Pettersson's camp yet. There has been nothing."

He could fetch a nice haul from one of the multitude of teams that are starved for top-four defensemen. He owns an 8-team no-trade list.

Lars Eller

At age 35, it's certain that Pittsburgh will not be re-upping with the pending UFA, despite his role as a middle-six center who can be a fine complementary scorer, averaging double-digits in goals in every full (non-injured) season of his 16-year career, save for his rookie season in 2011. He also has a Stanley Cup ring, playing a big role in the Washington Capitals' playoff run in 2018.

Michael Bunting

A Dubas favorite, Bunting is off to a brutal start this season with just one goal and two points in 13 games, but he's a two-time 20-goal scorer, and fell just one short of that mark last season, and he should have a decent trade market. He holds a $4.5 million cap hit through next season.