Penguins Forward Open to Trade Options as David Pagnotta Links Him to Western Team
NHL insider David Pagnotta has just released an update on one of the Pittsburgh Penguins forwards, who is apparently open to being traded to a contender.
The Pittsburgh Penguins displayed early in the campaign that their players were for sale, and that message hasn't changed yet. Despite spotty stretches of strong performances, they sit near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings.
In November, GM Kyle Dubas displayed that he's prepared to make most of the roster available, including multi-year signed players such as Bryan Rust, Erik Karlsson, and Michael Bunting.
Rust and Karlsson, nevertheless, have no-movement clauses, and any move will necessitate them to sign off. While no one in the room has actually requested them to waive them, they could possibly have an interest in a move to a competitor.
David Pagnotta believes Rust would waive his no-trade clause
NHL insider David Pagnotta stated that everybody but Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang is for sale. Rust, 32, carries a $5.125 million cap hit with three years to go, and his no-movement clause expires June 30th.
Karlsson, 34, carries a $10 million cap hit (San Jose keeps $1.5 million in salary on their books) and two years to go.
Although just a rumor at this point, Pagnotta confirmed that Pittsburgh isn't interested in taking on salary for multi-year deals.
The Penguins have but one salary retention opportunity for the current campaign left, with them taking care of parts of Jeff Petry's and Reilly Smith's deals for them.
Defenseman Marcus Pettersson, ranked No. 10 in the TFP Trade Watch, will almost surely move out in a move preceding the March 7th deadline.
Now it appears that Rust could join him on the way out. With a $4.025 million cap hit, Pettersson is a strong bet for salary retention. Teams such as Dallas, Vancouver, Winnipeg, and Ottawa have him in their crosshairs.
