Penguins Forward Emerges As Top NHL Trade Candidate Amid Ugly Start

A notable Pittsburgh Penguins forward is continuing to create chatter as a trade candidate early on this season.

This is because Penguins forward Rickard Rakell was among the players featured on NHL insider Chris Johnston's latest trade board for The Athletic. The Penguins veteran winger was given the No. 8 spot. 

"No stranger to the Big Board in the past year or two, Rakell’s time may finally be winding down with a Penguins team slowly transitioning to a younger group," Johnston wrote.

Seeing Rakell be named a top trade candidate is not too surprising. Questions about his future in Pittsburgh have come up for a while now with the team retooling. Thus, it would be understandable if the Penguins moved him during this season. 

Rakell could be a nice pickup for a playoff team looking for more offensive production in their top nine. The 33-year-old forward is coming off a solid 2025-26 season with Pittsburgh, as he recorded 24 goals and 48 points in 60 games. This was after he had 35 goals and 70 points in 81 games during the 2024-25 season with the Penguins.

Rakell has had a bad start to this campaign, though, posting one goal, four points, and a minus-4 rating in 10 games. However, he also put together a two-point night in his most recent game against the Utah Mammoth. This could end up being an indicator that the 15-year NHL veteran is set to bounce back.

Nevertheless, it will be interesting to see if the Penguins end up trading Rakell before the trade deadline. With the club having a surplus of NHL-caliber forwards and young players waiting in the wings, now may be the best time for them to move him. This would especially be so if the Penguins continue to struggle as the season rolls on.