The Pittsburgh Penguins had a busy off-season to push for the playoffs and a Stanley Cup. Could more moves be in store after a 3-6-0 start?
Jeff CarterThe Pittsburgh Penguins entered this season hoping to stage one more Stanley Cup run with aging stars Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang.
Under new president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas, the off-season additions of 2023 Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson and scoring winger (and 2023 Stanley Cup champion) Reilly Smith indicated they were all-in for this season.
Instead, the Penguins stumbled from the gate with a 3-6-0 record through October. That's given rise to speculation that more changes could be in store.
The Athletic's Josh Yohe says a move by Dubas is a possibility if the Penguins fail to snap out of their doldrums during their upcoming California road trip. A lack of cap space and several players carrying no-trade clauses could hamper any trade attempts, but Yohe felt Dubas couldn't let this go on much longer.
Pittsburgh Hockey Now's Dan Kingerski suggested that Dubas might find some help among some of his Metropolitan Division rivals.
Kingerski noted the Philadelphia Flyers have more than $12 million eligible for long-term injury reserve, including $6.25 million in Ryan Ellis' cap hit, per PuckPedia.
If Jeff Carter could be convinced to waive his no-movement clause, the Flyers would be among the few clubs that could afford to take him off the Penguins' hands. Kingerski also noted the Flyers lack young left-shot defensemen, something the Penguins have plenty of in Pierre-Olivier Joseph, Ty Smith and Will Butcher.
The Columbus Blue Jackets are reportedly trying to move a defenseman like Erik Gudbranson, Andrew Peeke or Adam Boqvist. Kingerski suggested one of them would be an improvement over struggling Chad Ruhwedel on the right side of the Penguins blueline.
THN.com/free