The Pittsburgh Penguins will have some difficult choices to make as they inch towards the NHL trade deadline on March 7th, 2025. Pittsburgh has several intriguing trade possibilities, including defensemen Marcus Pettersson, Matt Grzelcyk, and forward Drew O’Connor. The Penguins have played better as of late, turning things around from an early season run of poor hockey that had fans screaming for a coaching change. This run has further complicated the direction general manager Kyle Dubas can take this team in the second half of the season.
A 9-3-1 run heading into the holiday break had people wondering if Dubas should hang on to pending unrestricted free agents, however, the Penguins played a fairly uninspiring game last night against a division rival, dropping a 6-3 decision to the lowly New York Islanders. The loss kicks off an unofficial second half of the season for Pittsburgh, one in which the possibilities appear to be many. The month of January will be crucial for Pittsburgh to determine the direction in which the remainder of the season will go. If the Penguins play .500 hockey or below, it is likely that Dubas will opt to move on from Pettersson and company and keep his eyes on the future. However, if Pittsburgh is in the hunt, standing pat could be an option too.
Additions seem unlikely given that Dubas has been accumulating future assets for the past calendar year and has publicly expressed his desire to build for the future. Acquiring a young, controllable player could be a move that Dubas desires, similar to the recent trade for forward Philip Tomasino.
The other looming concern for Pittsburgh is franchise legend Sidney Crosby and the message it would send to him if Dubas were to move out veterans while the Penguins are in the thick of a playoff hunt. At 37 years old, Crosby only has a few high-level seasons left in him, and he has been on a tear as of late, rounding into mid-season form. Dubas has already said the Penguins won’t enter a full rebuild with Crosby on the roster, meaning they will continue to try and remain competitive with an eye toward the future.
The next two months in Pittsburgh should be interesting, Pettersson would fetch a solid return of futures. However, there aren’t many other players Dubas can move that will bring in anything of substance, which could be another factor in his decision before the deadline. O’Connor is an intriguing possibility for teams, but he hasn’t been able to recapture his offensive numbers from last season, which has impacted what the Penguins can get in a trade for him. The 26-year-old has just three goals and seven assists in 37 games this year.
The good run means we shouldn’t trade guys like Rust or Rakell, who still have term, but any pending UFA has to be traded and then backfilled.
Trade them. Then either bring up kids from WBS or eat a bad contract or two for picks and take on veterans who might rebound (not lost causes or pure dumps).
We need to put a good foot forward, we no longer have the luxury in our window to put our best foot forward.
This is exactly why I loved the Karlsson trade so much. It let the Sharks start a proper rebuild while making it so much harder for Pitt to start theirs.
The rebuild writing is on the wall, And there’s NO way around it in Pittsburgh.
Dubas is the Farhan Zaidi of hockey
Hockey has to be the toughest sport to build a championship roster in. Realistically to win a championship, you need a top 10 player, a top 20 player and then you need depth. You may compete without all of that, but few win without all of it. I almost hope my pens become a dumpster fire for a few years so that they can get what they need to rebuild that championship quality roster again.
Crosby should be more worried about (if he isn’t already) making certain that he is surrounded by guys who want to be there and who want to play hard every night, every shift. Because right now he isn’t.
I drive for a living so most Pena action I catch is over the radio, plus watching highlights later. I’ve loved listening to Phil Bourque, “the ‘ol Two-Niner”, on color commentary, because he’s done playing nice with these guys. Every night he is calling out specific Pens for lack of effort, lack of communication, lack of awareness and focus. Frankly Bourque has increased my enjoyment of Pens games immeasurably because he’s not only honest about his team, but his insight has been remarkably accurate.
I would buy bus tickets for any of Karlsson, Graves and Beauvillier. I would keep vets who might not have the skill but at least provide the grit and effort. And I would not have anyone except Crosby be off limits for the right offer.
Dubas has a difficult upcoming trade deadline approaching. In the past 10 days they have lost Pettersson, Letang, Pickering to injuries. He went out and re-acquired POJ & in a week the guy went from healthy scratch for the Blues to top lefty D w/ Pens. Graves also put into more TOI w/ the injuries. Time will tell w/ those 3 out how the D play and what it shows to Kyle on if he should trade Pettersson. This time will give him & the coaching staff some time to look at POJ, Graves & Shea. This will also allow Grzelcyj more TOI to showcase his talents on the trade market. O’Conner is proving why he was an undrafted college player. He has worked hard to get to where he is but hasnt been able to fulfill expectations this season. I like the Tomasino pickup a lot and he has performed well w/ Glass & whoever those 2 have played with. I could see or hope they can rid themselves of Beauvillier, Hayes & Puljujarvi if anyone wants them. Good young forwards putting up points in WBS. Dubas has accumulated lots of futures. Go get some more young end talent like Tomasino that need a new home & can learn from Sid & Gino.