The Pittsburgh Penguins may not be ready to tear everything down, but the conversation around them is moving in that direction.
On Saturday, Jim Biringer of NHL Rumors.com and Full Press NHL joined TSN Radio in Montreal and was asked whether the Penguins could soon begin the selling process if their season keeps sliding. Biringer said he can absolutely see that happening, and he pointed to a roster that already feels overdue for some kind of reset.
He didn’t put Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin or Kris Letang in that category, but he made it clear that the rest of the picture could change fast if Pittsburgh continues to drift. Erik Karlsson’s name came up as a possible trade chip, and Biringer also mentioned Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell as players contenders would want because they can still help in the top six and have term on their deals.
“Yeah, I could definitely see it. I definitely foresaw the Penguins taking a step back this year.
I didn’t have them as a playoff team last year, as you did. I thought that they would bottom out (Gavin) McKennna, get (Ivar) Stennberg, one of those guys.
That’s how they were going to retool. But Kyle Dubas is understanding that, look, yes, there’s new ownership in there, but some of these guys are long in the tooth.
And look, I’m not saying it’s going to be (Evgeni) Malkin or (Kris) Letang or (Sidney) Crosby.
I think they’ll core three, but Erik Karlsson ‘s name is out there. They could flip him for assets.
Everybody looks at Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell and players like that that they can move out who still have term left on their deal. But those are guys that contending teams want and can help them in their top six to push them over the edge for a championship.
And I expect Pittsburgh, if they continue their slide, to look to sell off assets before the trade deadline comes.
NHL Rumors: Los Angeles Kings Looking to Improve All Areas
I think Kyle Dubas knows he needs to get younger. He wants to get younger, and I think he sees that this Penguins team, what they did last year was just overachieved because they didn’t stick to the plan.
I think the plan was okay: as long as we have those three guys, we’ve got to go for it. But last year was a mirage because, let’s be honest, the Flyers and Penguins in the old format were the seventh and eighth seeds in the Eastern Conference, and the Flyers benefited from going to the second round because of the playoff format.
So I see the Penguins in the same spot they should have been last year: at the bottom of the Metro Division and selling off assets.”
The question came against the backdrop of a rough start in the Metropolitan Division, where the Flyers have won three straight and the Penguins are sitting near the bottom as well. The Blue Jackets are below them, though they’ve played fewer games, and the numbers look even worse when adjusted for that. It’s still early, but the early-season unease is already back around Pittsburgh.
In Other News...
Flyers Just Entered A New Kind Of Trade And Cap Fight
The NHLs rising salary cap is changing the way teams think about every big move, and the Flyers are now operating in a market where money is getting louder by the season. The cap is projected to climb to $104 million for 2026-27 and could reach $127.5 million by 2028-29, a jump that is already showing up in the size of recent contracts around the league. Leo Carlssons $90 million offer sheet and Cale Makars $163.2 million extension are only the latest examples of a market that has moved far beyond the old limits.
For Philadelphia, that creates a different kind of trade fight than the one teams were used to even a few years ago. Bigger cap ceilings give front offices more room to dream, but they also force sharper decisions on how to build a roster and how aggressive to be in negotiations, especially with a new collective bargaining agreement reshaping contract structure and team leverage. The Flyers are navigating not just a more expensive league, but one where the rules of the spending game are changing too. [Read more 🡒]
Flyers Showed Fight But One Familiar Problem Ruined It Again
The Flyers made the kind of rally that can steady a room, digging out of a three-goal first-period hole and finding a way to turn a runaway into a game that felt up for grabs. Columbus had set the tone early, but Philadelphia answered with a push that brought some life back into the building, while Cam Talbots 28 saves kept the Blue Jackets from completely losing control.
Even so, the finish was another reminder of how slim the margin can be when a game gets away from a team early. Philadelphia had done enough to reach overtime, but the Blue Jackets cashed in when it mattered most, with Kent Johnson delivering the winner in a 4-3 Columbus victory. For the Flyers, the fight was there again, but so was the familiar cost of an opening stretch they could not fully undo. [Read more 🡒]
Rasmus Ristolainen Is Becoming A Tougher Flyers Trade Decision
Rasmus Ristolainen has become one of the Flyers trickier personnel decisions because the question around him is no longer just whether he can help, but how often he can actually be on the ice. The 31-year-old defenseman still brings the kind of size and physical edge that can matter on a blue line, but recurring injuries have kept interrupting his rhythm and made it harder for Philadelphia to treat him like a reliable every-night piece.
Over the past six seasons, he has missed roughly one-third of the teams games, and that kind of availability track record naturally chips away at his trade value. What once might have been a straightforward conversation about a sturdy veteran defenseman has turned into a much murkier calculus for the Flyers, who now have to weigh the usefulness of his game when healthy against the reality that health has become the biggest part of the discussion. [Read more 🡒]