Pittsburgh Penguins on the Verge of Trading the Wrong Defenseman
The Pittsburgh Penguins once considered extending Marcus Pettersson, but now with contract talks stalling, it appears it's just a matter of time until Kyle Dubas and the Penguins move on from the veteran.
Although Pittsburgh started 2024/25 slow, they've turned things around in a big way, and now, they have themselves primed to make another run in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
That has significantly slowed down the talk of a fire sale that we heard earlier in the season, but that doesn't mean the team are moving on from potentially selling some veterans.
Now, a report has emerged that contract talks with Marcus Pettersson have stalled according to Pittsburgh Hockey Now, and with the veteran blue liner set to hit free agency in the upcoming summer, talks of a potential trade are now heating up.
It's unclear at this point whether or not discussions have begun with opposing teams about the 28-year old, but given the fact that he could land them a solid asset or two, it would make sense for the Penguins to trade him, with some fans having dreams of landing another Pettersson in his place.
Unfortunately for plenty of Penguins fans, this may mean they hold on to Erik Karlsson, who has had speculation around his name in recent times, with many believing that Pettersson is a much better long-term option than Karlsson, who likely can't be traded due to his bloated contract.
In 35 games this season, Pettersson has posted 2 goals and 13 points with a -2 differential, so while the numbers don't look incredible, he would be a perfect bottom-four pairing defenseman on a Stanley Cup contender, and with Pittsburgh potentially looking at life after Sidney Crosby, expect them to make a trade involving No. 28 soon.
