Revealed: 'Absurd' Asking Price Penguins Had For Rickard Rakell

Did the Pittsburgh Penguins miss their opportunity to get a huge haul for Rickard Rakell? That's the question being asked my many, most specifically on Thursday by insider Frank Seravalli on the DFO Rundown.

He says the Edmonton Oilers, among other teams, were ready to make a move on Rakell, but the Penguins' ask, as reported by Seravalli, was 'absurd'.

I think they fumbled their situation with Rickard Rakell. This is a guy that's had a dream season... His value right now will likely never been higher than it is in this exact moment... But the ask from the Pittsburgh Penguins was so absurd relative to what Rakell is, and the risk potentially on the back end of that contract—three more years at 5 million bucks—it kind of was a non-starter:
The ask from Pittsburgh to teams was a king's ransom — Pittsburgh wanted each organization's top prospect, PLUS two first-round picks.

Whoa.

"In the Oilers' case, that would have been a price tag of Matthew Savoie plus two firsts for Rakell. Just unrealistic. Why even engage in talks to move him if that's what your game plan is?" the insider asked, rhetorically.

As for Edmonton, they were able to go out and obtain a much-needed top-four defenseman in Jake Walman at the deadline but were not able to add any offensive help, aside from the currently injured Trent Frederic, who obviously brings a much different skill set than Rakell, and won't be lighting up the score sheet.

Most likely, the Penguins really didn't want to move Rakell at all, and just used that insane ask as another way of saying, 'We're not interested in moving him.'

Rakell, with 29 goals, is on pace for a career-high 36. The last time he topped the 30-goal mark was seven years ago.