The Pittsburgh Penguins are a team that is expected to look vastly different at the end of this season compared to the beginning. As the team finally embraces the hard rebuild pill to swallow, Pens GM Kyle Dubas will be active on the phone lines this year.
There has been a lot of noise around the franchise stars Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, regarding whether the two will stick it out through this rebuilding process in what is the twilight of their career’s. This is a dilemma in Pittsburgh that very much reminisces the 22-23 Chicago Blackhawks as the team made the difficult decision to move on from legends of the organization like Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews in the midst of their rebuild.
It is easy to forget about the rest of the Penguins roster living in the shadow of these 2 legends. Via insider David Pagnotta, here is a multitude of players that have been reportedly featured on the Pittsburgh trade block as the squad undergoes an identity shift.
Who is on the Penguins trade block?
Erik Karlsson
No surprise here as Karlsson has been known to be a part of Pens trade talk for a while. The Norris winning defender has not fit in as expected in Pittsburgh, but can still produce on any contending teams backend and should get back a solid return.
Ryan Graves
Graves is a dependable defensive defenseman who can block shots and bring a physical edge. However, he is coming off a rough season last year in Pittsburgh and could use a change in scenery.
Noel Acciari
Acciari is a decent bottom 6 forward who can provide occasional depth production and versatility in a bottom 6 role on a good team.
Tristan Jarry
Jarry has had an up and down tenure in the Penguins net as their starter. When he’s on, he can be among the top goaltenders in the game. But he has struggled with consistency throughout his tenure, even needing AHL stints when he’s off his game. But for teams looking for options in net, Jarry could be worth taking a chance on.
