Not long ago, the Pittsburgh Penguins looked like they might make a serious push for a playoff spot. But a disastrous homestand has them trailing five teams they'd need to leapfrog just to contend for the second Wild Card.
In light of that, Marco D'Amico of 'rg.org' reports that «a fire sale is imminent.» And per the report, it's not just pending UFAs on the chopping block, but several high-profile veterans could be dealt away as well.
Most surprisingly, the report couldn't confirm that Kris Letang, holding a full no-movement clause, is considered untouchable.
One of GM Kyle Dubas's most controversial moves was acquiring two-time Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson in the summer of 2023, which might backfire further, as Karlsson could be among those on the trade block.
To facilitate a deal, the Penguins are reportedly willing to retain a big portion of Karlsson's $11.5M cap hit, of which they're responsible for $10M.
Among the other players who are reportedly available, despite not being pending free agents, are Rickard Rakell (three years remaining, $5M cap hit), Michael Bunting (one year remaining, $4.5M cap hit), Kevin Hayes (one year, $3.5M cap hit) and Noel Acciari (one year, $2M cap hit).
The next seven weeks are going to be very significant for the Penguins as this potential roster reshuffle gets underway.
POLL | ||
JANVIER 20 | 313 ANSWERS Pittsburgh Penguins Fire Sale Imminent as Kyle Dubas Shockingly Places Multiple Key Players on the Trade Block Are the Penguins entering a full rebuild mode? | ||
Yes | 252 | 80.5 % |
No | 61 | 19.5 % |
List of polls |