Penguins Ready to Trade Everyone
The Pittsburgh Penguins enter trade deadline week with plenty of players likely on the move.
PITTSBURGH – After three straight unacceptable losses to round out a four-game Western Conference road trip, the Pittsburgh Penguins return home with their playoff hopes probably completely dashed. The Penguins sit well outside of a playoff spot and have yet to succeed with those coveted games in hand.
With the playoffs likely out of the question and the trade deadline days away, the Penguins are likely set to open the yard sale. President and general manager Kyle Dubas will have his hands full this week, and a fair bit of the roster likely played their last game in a Penguins uniform.
According to Josh Yohe of the Athletic, Dubas likely won’t wait until Friday’s deadline to start wheeling and dealing.
“Everyone will focus on the deadline Friday, but don’t be shocked if Dubas starts making moves before then,” Yohe wrote. “I could see four or five players being moved from this team easily. I doubt Dubas wants to wait until Friday, for logistical reasons, to start trading everyone.”
For those wondering which Penguins could be on the move, it’s easier to say which ones are for sure staying. Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, Erik Karlsson, and Bryan Rust.
That’s it. Pretty much everyone else is up for grabs.
Dubas and the Penguins will likely comply with players’ no-trade lists, but that doesn’t make them immovable. In a pre-deadline press conference, Dubas said he would let his team decide what direction they should head in by the deadline.
At the time, the Penguins still had an outside chance at the playoffs, but now things are just about over.
“The Penguins are about to be dismantled,” Yohe said. “And really, their play this season has given Dubas no other choice.”
Since Dubas’ presser, the Penguins have won three straight, followed by losing three straight. In the grand scheme of the season, though, things haven’t been great for the Penguins. 27-24-8, with nine points separating them from a playoff spot.
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