The Eastern Conference is getting better, and the Pittsburgh Penguins need to join the party.
The Pittsburgh Penguins are in for a dogfight to get into the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs this season. Five teams currently sit within four points of the two wild-card spots in the Eastern Conference.
Two teams in playoff contention, the New York Islanders and New York Rangers, have already made additions to their roster for the final stretch of the season. Other top trade deadline pieces, Timo Meier and Brock Boeser are likely to join other East contenders.
With the Penguins holding onto the final wild card spot, they can't afford to stay on the sidelines while the rest of the conference continues their arms race.
The common excuses you hear are that the Penguins don't have the cap space or the assets to get into the conversation for the top pieces on the market. That just isn't true.
We just witnessed the New York Rangers pull off a trade for an expensive asset while not having the space for it, and every team in this league has multiple avenues to fit contracts under the cap.
As far as assets are concerned, the Penguins have what it takes to get into the conversation on any trade target on the market. They hold all their first-round picks for the next three seasons, not to mention their second and third-rounders (2023 3rd is New Jersey's). Not to mention a handful of talented young defensemen and current roster players on expiring deals.
It comes down to whether or not Penguins general manager Ron Hextall is willing to part with the pieces necessary to make a splash move. But make no mistake, the Penguins can swing big at this year's trade deadline.
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