Well, the biggest day of the NHL's regular season has finally arrived.
It's officially Friday, Mar. 6, which means it's the NHL trade deadline, and chaos will ensue. And one of the more interesting teams to watch on deadline day will be the Pittsburgh Penguins.
As of now, the Penguins have a loosening grip on second place in the Metropolitan Division, as they sit nine points back of the first-place Carolina Hurricanes, are tied points-wise with the third-place New York Islanders, and are just three points ahead of the surging Columbus Blue Jackets, who have won three straight and are 8-1-1 in their last 10 games.
Oh, and they are still without star center Sidney Crosby - who rejoined what was a short, optional team practice on Friday - and they are likely to be without the services of Evgeni Malkin for at least a few games, as he has a hearing with the NHL's Department of Player Safety for his slash to the head of Buffalo Sabres' defenseman Rasmus Dahlin during Thursday's 5-1 loss.
In other words, a lot of different scenarios could happen with the Penguins on deadline day, whether GM/POHO Kyle Dubas decides to add to the roster, stands pat, or still elects to sell a few players for futures. And Penguins' forward Rickard Rakell - who has been playing an elevated role in the lineup during Crosby's absence - is all too familiar with the energy on deadline day, as he was dealt from the Anaheim Ducks to the Penguins on deadline day in 2022.
"You just try to go about your day as normal as you can, but obviously, you know that things are happening," Rakell said. "But nothing you can really do about it. So, just try to treat it as normal as possible."
One of the biggest subjects of trade rumors for the Penguins has been goaltender Stuart Skinner, who they acquired from the Edmonton Oilers in mid-December as part of the deal that sent Tristan Jarry the other way. But being the subject of trade rumors is nothing new for the 27-year-old netminder, who learned a while ago to drown out the noise because things are out of his control.
But he understands that rumors are always going to surround certain players, like himself, at this time of year - especially when they have no trade protection.
"I mean, I think it's going to be like that unless you have a no-trade clause, so whenever this time of the year, maybe some things are in the back of your mind," Skinner said. "But, I've learned, just through experience, that you can't control anything. The only thing I can control is how I play, bringing a good attitude every day, and enjoying the group of guys that I'm with right now.
"And it's been a blast. I love hanging around these guys, so that's all I'm focused on."
Of course, Penguins' GM and POHO Kyle Dubas has been a busy man throughout this season, and he expressed a desire to add forward and defensive depth. With time ticking down to the 3:00 p.m. cutoff, whether or not he makes any changes to the roster is still very much up in the air.
Regardless of what happens on deadline day, however, the Penguins are very much comfortable with the group that they have. It's a group of players who have spent the entire season defying outside expectations, and there is a lot of belief in the room.
And that doesn't figure to change, whether there are new faces in the room or not.
"We've shown what we can do this year, and I'm very comfortable with that," Rakell said. "Nobody really believed in us before the season, and I think that we proved a lot of people wrong. We're excited for this challenge in this room, and we know it's gonna be a battle here at the end of the regular season, but we're up to the task."
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