2 Penguins Potential Under-The-Radar Trade Candidates

The Pittsburgh Penguins have had a rough start to the 2026-27 season, as evidenced by their 6-10-2 record and them being last in the Metropolitan Division standings. 

With this, notable Penguins players like Bryan Rust, Erik Karlsson, and Rickard Rakell have already been the subject of trade speculation early on this campaign.

Yet, if the Penguins end up being sellers this season, they could have some other under-the-radar potential trade candidates to watch. Due to this, let's look at two of them. 

If the Penguins sell this season, Justin Brazeau could be a player to keep an eye on. The 28-year-old is a pending unrestricted free agent (UFA) and could be a decent trade chip for the Penguins to dangle as a rental. 

Brazeau just had a career year with the Penguins in 2025-26, posting 17 goals and 34 points in 64 games. With numbers like these, he could be a nice pickup for a playoff team's third line. 

Samuel Girard is another pending UFA who could make sense for the Penguins to listen to trade offers for. The 28-year-old defenseman has a Stanley Cup on his resume, so that could help him generate some interest from contenders closer to the deadline.

In 15 games so far this season for the Penguins, Girard has posted one goal and seven points. This is after he had three goals, 19 points, and a plus-17 rating in 60 games split between the Colorado Avalanche and Penguins.