The Penguins are back in the familiar spot of being a team to watch on the trade market, and this time the focus is on the veterans with protection built into their contracts.
That was the latest read from Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman on Saturday night TV, who said Pittsburgh is one of the clubs worth monitoring as the season moves along.
“There are a couple of other teams to keep an eye on. Number one, Pittsburgh.
The Penguins [are] 15th in the East. They want to get younger, they want to get faster, they want to make more opportunities for their young players.
They have a bunch of [veteran] guys who’ve got [trade] clauses and I think the Penguins are trying to get a handle on, A) who’s willing to do what and B) it’s kinda known out there that if you want to help them inject some youth in the lineup, they are interested.”
That lines up with the reality of Pittsburgh’s roster, where several of the team’s veteran names carry some form of trade protection. Rickard Rakell has a limited eight-team no-trade clause, with a $5.0 million cap hit that runs through the 2027-28 season. Erik Karlsson has a full no-movement clause, and his $10.0 million cap hit expires after this season.
Sam Girard has a limited nine-team no-trade clause and a $5.0 million cap hit that also expires after this season. Evgeni Malkin’s incentive-laden deal carries a $5.5 million cap hit that could climb to $9.0 million depending on bonuses, and the contract includes a clause that gives the Penguins the option to receive a list of three teams on February 1st and then trade him after that date to any of those locations.
Kris Letang has a ten-team no-trade clause this season on a contract with a $6.1 million cap hit that runs through 2028. Andrei Kuzmenko also has a modified no-trade clause that can block ten teams, though his season hasn’t exactly created a long line of suitors.
Bryan Rust is a different case. His trade protection ended in 2025, and there is no official protection written into his deal until his $5.125 million cap hit expires in 2028.
If Pittsburgh keeps sliding, the next step could become pretty clear for Kyle Dubas. Moving veterans would be the natural direction, especially with Karlsson’s situation looming large because his deal is expiring and he controls where, and even whether, a trade happens in season.
Rust and Rakell are already frequent names in the rumor cycle, and that chatter figures to keep building. The deadline is still a long way off - March 1st - but if the Penguins keep trending toward the future, the roster could start shifting from the group that stayed competitive last season to one making room for younger players.
That would open the door for AHL players like Rutger McGroarty, Avery Hayes and Harrison Brunicke to push into NHL roles. For now, though, the timing is still unsettled, and it will depend on the results on the ice, the offers that come back, and whether players like Karlsson are willing to go along with it.
In Other News...
Penguins Already Face An Uncomfortable Trade Deadline Reality
Early in the 2026-27 season, the Penguins have already found themselves in an uncomfortable spot as the standings start to sort out across the Eastern Conference. Pittsburgh is part of a broader group of teams, along with the Flyers and Maple Leafs, that have stumbled out of the gate, and that has pushed the trade deadline conversation up the calendar. On Daily Faceoff LIVE, analysts began sketching out which clubs could eventually drift into seller territory if the results do not improve.
For the Penguins, the chatter is especially awkward because it comes before the season has even fully settled in. Columbus also came up in the discussion, but Pittsburgh is the one drawing the kind of attention that usually comes with deadline speculation, not October uncertainty. If the early slide continues, the Penguins could find themselves in a familiar but unwanted position, with rival teams watching closely to see which direction the front office chooses to take. [Read more 🡒]
Penguins Rough Night In Anaheim Brings Immediate Lineup Fallout
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Ville Koivunen is day-to-day, and Pittsburgh responded by recalling Rutger McGroarty on Sunday after he played back-to-back games for Wilkes-Barre and then traveled to Los Angeles. For a team trying to steady itself after an uneven showing, the timing of the move underscores how quickly the Penguins may need to adjust as they look for a better answer in the days ahead. [Read more 🡒]
Penguins Roster Transition Is Raising A Bigger Lineup Question
The Penguins are in the middle of the kind of roster transition that can be harder to manage than it looks from the outside. Young players have been knocking on the door after promising stretches in the AHL, but the path from there to a regular NHL role has been slowed by injuries and the simple math of a crowded roster. For a team trying to bridge eras, every lineup decision seems to carry a little more weight than usual.
Tommy Novak and Justin Brazeau have become part of that evaluation, with their usage and fit helping shape how the Penguins are sorting through the next phase of the lineup. The larger question is whether the organization can keep giving those veterans meaningful roles while still finding a way to open the door for the prospects who have already shown they belong in the conversation. [Read more 🡒]