Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan is not on the hot seat despite his team's underwhelming performance this season. Kyle Dubas has remained patient in his first season in charge with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Unfortunately, that patience hasn't resulted in positive performance as the Penguins continue to fall further behind in the Eastern Conference playoff race. Until a report from TSN's Pierre LeBrun [https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/video/%7e2870317], it was unclear which direction Dubas wanted to take the Penguins at the upcoming trade deadline. According to LeBrun, the Penguins are listening to trade discussions for everyone outside of their "core guys." Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang immediately come to mind when thinking of the Penguins' core, and it's been that way since 2007. However, the Penguins likely have a few more players penciled in as core players. [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/latest-news/mike-sullivan-additions-pittsburgh-penguins-core] Their investment in Erik Karlsson alone makes him an easy player to consider as part of their long-term plans. Forfeiting a first-round pick and taking on a $10 million salary cap hit make that obvious. While Karlsson's season hasn't gone as many had hoped, he's still on pace to score the fifth most points (60) from a defenseman in a single season in the Crosby era. Bryan Rust is also a name to consider for the Penguins' core. Rust has been a consistent 20-goal/50-point player for the Penguins over the last five seasons and excels on both the penalty kill and power play. The Penguins' current lack of consistent wingers makes Rust all the more indispensable. Marcus Pettersson falls in a similar category to Rust. While Pettersson's contract and ability would make him a hot commodity on the trade market, the Penguins' severe lack of defensively proficient blue-liners make him an untouchable commodity. Jake Guentzel would typically be on any list of core Penguins, but the uncertainty surrounding his contract situation puts him on the radar of every contender across the NHL. With Dubas reportedly opening the Penguins up for business, the next two weeks will provide plenty of answers about where he and the organization believe this team is in their NHL life cycle. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELTpLbbQ_yk[/embed] Make sure you bookmark Inside the Penguin [http://insidethepenguins.com/]s [http://insidethepenguins.com/]for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more Penguins Preparing for Massive Trades [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/latest-news/pittsburgh-penguins-preparing-massive-trades] Report: Penguins Ready to Trade Every Player [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/latest-news/pittsburgh-penguins-ready-trade-every-player] Penguins' Best Trade Partners for Jake Guentzel [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/latest-news/pittsburgh-penguins-best-trade-partners-jake-guentzel] Penguins Continue Collapsing in Loss to Islanders [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/latest-news/pittsburgh-penguins-collapsing-loss-new-york-islanders] Penguins' Defenseman Hits New Career Milestone [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/latest-news/pittsburgh-penguins-erik-karlsson-career-milestone] * undefined * undefined
