The Pittsburgh Penguins are opening the auction floor for most of their locker room.

PITTSBURGH – The Pittsburgh Penguins lost another heartbreaker, this time to division rival New York Islanders in overtime. They may have gained an overtime point in the standings, but the Penguins aren’t in the spot they’d like to be.

Sitting eight points out of the second wild-card spot, the Penguins are on the verge of packing the season in and looking forward to 2024-25. According to Pierre LeBrun on TSN’s Insider Trading, the Penguins are gearing up for just that.

With the trade deadline just over two weeks away, the Penguins are opening the doors to the auction house.

“Talking to people across the league over the last couple of days,” LeBrun said. “Kyle Dubas is listening on pretty much everyone on his roster.”

LeBrun quickly made it clear that Dubas is listening to options on everyone, except for the core group.

“Other than the core guys,” LeBrun said. “I hope I underline that part for everyone.”

The definition of the Penguins ‘core’ is a bit broad, and depending on who you ask, it could fit as many as five to six players. The big three are obvious: Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang. Names like Jake Guentzel, Erik Karlsson, and Tristan Jarry could also sneak into that conversation.

Guentzel, meanwhile, has been a focal point of this upcoming trade deadline, and depending on Dubas’ definition of the core, Guentzel might officially be on the market.

LeBrun didn’t mention Guentzel by name as someone being shopped, but he did give a different forward who is struggling quite a bit this season.

“That still leaves a lot of players that he is listening on,” LeBrun said. “For example, someone that he is listening on it, Reilly Smith.”

LeBrun mentioned that Smith’s pedigree as a veteran presence and recent postseason success could attract potential suitors. Smith has a decent start to the season but has been nearly invisible since mid-December.

This isn't the first time Smith has been mentioned in trade rumors, but this further solidifies the possibility of him moving. With Guentzel possibly hitting the road and Smith being shopped, that may just be the start of the Penguins’ teardown.

“The Penguins will be in sell mode to some degree,” LeBrun said.

Goalies are expected to be hot commodities at this year’s deadline, and Alex Nedeljkovic has played well on a moveable deal. P.O. Joseph hasn’t gotten much of an opportunity this season, but could still be a young asset for someone to scoop up. Ryan Graves has been a disaster and is in the first year of a six-year deal.

If the Penguins are going scorched Earth, anything is possible, and it’s safe to expect that just about anyone is on the table.

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