Report: Pittsburgh Penguins "Fire Sale is "Imminent"
It wasn't that long ago that the Pittsburgh Penguins seemed able to make a push for a playoff spot. But a brutal homestand has dropped them behind five other teams they'd have to leapfrog, before having a chance at eyeing the second Wild Card.
And with that, a report from Marco D'Amico of rg.org indicates that "a fire sale is imminent." And he says that "big-name veterans", not just pending UFAs, will be dealt.
An NHL source close to the situation has confirmed to RG that everyone on the current roster - except captain Sidney Crosby, longtime alternate captain Evgeni Malkin, veteran forward Ryan Rust, forward Philip Tomasino, and defenseman Owen Pickering - is available for the right price before the March 7 NHL Trade Deadline.
The source couldn't confirm whether or not Kris Letang was even on that 'safe' list, though he does have a full no-movement clause.
One of GM Kyle Dubas's biggest mistakes (also one of his first moves after taking over in the summer of 2023), two-time Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson, could be one of those "big name vets" on the move—if they can find a taker. The report states that the Pens are willing to retain a large amount of his $11.5M cap hit (of which the Penguins are on the hook for $10M).
“That’s someone they want and need to move,” the source told D'Amico. “I think they retain salary for sure, and you know what? He can help the right team still. Maybe with the cap going up, you never know.”
Others who are not pending free agents who are on the block include:
- Rickard Rakell (three years remaining at $5M cap hit)
- Michael Bunting (one year left at $4.5M cap hit)
- Kevin Hayes (one year, $3.5M)
- Noel Acciari (one year, $2M cap hit)
