NHL Rumors: Penguins Officially "Open for Business"

The Pittsburgh Penguins have already started selling, as they traded veteran forward Lars Eller to the Washington Capitals in exchange for a third-round pick and a fifth-round pick. However, the Penguins are not done yet. According to NHL insider Elliotte Friedman, the Penguins have informed teams that "they are open for business."

Friedman named defenseman Marcus Pettersson and forward Drew O'Connor as two of the Penguins' top trade candidates. Both players are in the final seasons of their deals and can become unrestricted free agents next July. Thus, they could be very popular rental targets around the NHL.

Friedman also listed Noel Acciari, Michael Bunting, and Alex Nedeljkovic as Penguins players with term who could be good trade chips for the Penguins. He also noted that superstars Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin want to stay put and likely won't be moved.

At this juncture of the season, the Penguins have a 6-9-3 record and are sixth in the Metropolitan Division. They have won only three out of their last 10 games and have a minus-22 goal differential on the campaign. Needless to say, it has not been a fun start to the year for the Pens, so it is not surprising that they are ready to hear offers for several of their players.