The week leading up to the NHL Draft is always an interesting one, as teams typically become a bit more active on the trade market with both the draft and free agency on the horizon.

But, with so many trade rumors already circulating this summer, this week in particular could be a very active one in comparison to years past -- and a few major dominoes have already fallen.

On Sunday, the Ottawa Senators and Florida Panthers executed the summer's first blockbuster trade, as Sens' captain Brady Tkachuk was sent to Florida for Florida's 2026 ninth overall pick, their 25th overall pick, a 2029 first-round pick, and a 2030 second-round pick. With so many other names - some of them, big names - on the board, this trade opened the floodgates for teams trying to improve in the near-term to get deals done prior to or on draft day.

After Tkachuk, the Simon Nemec trade happened. Then, William Eklund, followed by Jordan Kyrou and Bowen Byram, the last of which gave Buffalo Chicago's fourth overall pick. In fact, three top-10 picks have already been traded prior to the draft, which is unprecedented.

So, even if they may not play host to some of the market's biggest names, one of the most interesting teams to keep an eye on in the coming days will be Kyle Dubas's Pittsburgh Penguins. 

No, the Penguins are not the Dallas Stars, who have a very attractive RFA trade-then-sign candidate in star winger Jason Robertson. They're also not the Toronto Maple Leafs, who will likely select Gavin McKenna first overall on Friday and who are shopping top-six winger Matthew Knies. And they're not the Senators, either, who now have multiple first-round picks at their disposal to leverage in the trade market.

However, they should be a very active team on the trade market nonetheless -- and that could involve buying and selling all in one. 

On Sunday, it was reiterated by The Athletic's Josh Yohe - although, it's not exactly new information - that Dubas and the Penguins are not eager to trade top-six wingers Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell but that they are available. Given the going prices of players on the trade market during this calendar year, it would not be entirely surprising to see either one on the move given the return the Penguins could get, especially with rumors abound that the Penguins are looking to trade up in the draft. 

The Penguins are trying to improve next season, and that much has been made clear. But they are simultaneously trying to get younger while getting better, which is a tough needle to thread. Rust and Rakell may be in their mid-30s with two years each remaining on their contracts that pay them $5.1 and $5 million per year, respectively - and several other teams desire to add top-six players and, in some cases, veterans - but they're still very good players, and trading each of them could help advance the Penguins' pursuit to get better and younger at the same time. 

They are both around 30-goal wingers who play in the top-six and come cheap relative to the market and the rising cap, so dealing them should be a no-brainer if they can get the specific kind of return they are looking for. The same can be said about defenseman Erik Karlsson, who is on the final year of his current contract, but the situation with him is probably a bit trickier because of the lack of in-house talent the Penguins have on the blue line. 

Because, just like every other trade scenario for a team in their position, they won't be making trades just to trade. And - in the Penguins' case - the pivotal decisions that Dubas makes around this draft could have a pretty sizeable impact on the near and long-term future. 

One interesting area to watch will be how they handle the potential of trading their picks, and it has been said on numerous occasions by Dubas himself that there is an understanding they'll have to dabble in the market if they are going to take bigger steps. Even with that, however, they'll only pull the trigger on trades if they believe it will benefit them in both the short- and the long-term.

In a vacuum, trading Rust or Rakell hurts the immediate future of the team for next season, but if they can leverage one of them for a younger player to immediately replace them - or a franchise-changing talent at the top of the draft - it makes sense. The Penguins could trade one of them move up in the draft - and, given what teams are surrendering for players who, arguably, aren't even as talented as Rust and Rakell, they very well might - but if they're going to take steps next season, they need to make sure there is a more immediate replacement plan for Rust or Rakell because the player they draft likely won't be in the picture next season. 

Then, there is the situation with Edmonton Oilers' defenseman Darnell Nurse, who requested a trade andn whose top destination is, reportedly, Pittsburgh. The 31-year-old makes a lot of money - he is signed on for $9.25 million per year through the end of the 2029-30 season - and has underperformed his contract so far, but he is still a decent player in a lesser role and someone the Penguins should be able to bring along a nice return for.

The bottom line is that, while the Penguins figure to be a relatively active team in these next couple of weeks, it will be interesting to see how big they go: Will they try to trade into the top-10? Will they set their sights on the trade market and use their NHL assets and capital to go big? Will they take on contracts like Nurse's to acquire more value that they can leverage later? Will they move anyone of significance at all? Will they offer sheet?

All of these are valid questions, and many of them will be answered in the next two weeks. The one thing for certain is that Dubas is going to be a busy man, and some of the decisions he makes could profoundly affect the outlook of the franchise moving forward.

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