If the right deal comes along, the Pittsburgh Penguins should jump at the opportunity.
The NHL Draft is upon us and the Pittsburgh Penguins have themselves a first round pick for only the second time since 2014.
It’s become commonplace for the Penguins to trade away their first round picks for NHL ready talent, but will they do it this year with their position at 21st overall?
According to Jesse Marshall of the Athletic, they will if the right deal comes along.
“They're in a position to get a falling player… possibly a top 12 talent,” Marshall said on 93.7 the Fan Morning Show. “I don’t think there’s a player they are so over the moon with… that they won’t want to part with the pick.”
Marshall mentioned that the Penguins could make a deal for their first round pick and not receive a player in return.
There is a possibility that they ship the 21st pick with another player they have been looking to trade for cap relief.
“A deal that enables you to potentially shed some cap space, get some players out you’ve been wanting to move,” Marshall said. “I think that deal could potentially exist.”
Rumors have been swirling that the Penguins are looking to trade away one of Brian Dumoulin or Marcus Pettersson, both making just above $4 million.
Either of those men plus a first round pick could fetch the Penguins a decent return, but the cap space may be the most important.
The Penguins still have contracts to negotiate and plenty of players that want to stick around, so the extra breathing room could prove useful.
If the right deal comes along, the Penguins shouldn’t balk at the opportunity to trade away their first round pick yet again.
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