One veteran Penguins player could be of interest to other teams.
The Pittsburgh Penguins have made some moves already in the 2024-25 season. The Penguins traded Lars Eller to the Washington Capitals in what some believed signaled the beginning of a rebuild. Later, Pittsburgh swung a trade with the Nashville Predators to acquire forward Philip Tomasino. Despite these early moves, Pittsburgh surely isn't done tinkering with its roster.
The Penguins cannot make a move in the immediate future, though. Pittsburgh, along with the rest of the NHL, are under the league's annual holiday roster freeze. Teams cannot make trades again until 11:59 PM local time on December 27. This gives general manager Kyle Dubas some time to think about his next move before he makes it.
What Pittsburgh's next move might be is anyone's guess. On one hand, the team does not appear equipped to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs. And if they do, they would likely be an early exit. However, the Penguins are in fourth place in the Metropolitan Division at this time. They are one point off the Ottawa Senators for the East's final Wild Card spot, as well.
The Penguins have a number of roads they can go down as of now. However, no matter the road they travel, there is one move the team needs to make. And this move involves trading a veteran scorer who could certainly be of interest to other teams.
Rickard Rakell may be a Penguins trade candidate
The Penguins have two of the greatest players of their generation in Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. And both of these players are more than capable when it comes to putting the puck in the net. However, neither player currently leads Pittsburgh in goal-scoring. That honor belongs to veteran winger Rickard Rakell.
Rakell has 15 goals through 34 games this season, according to ESPN. The veteran winger is one of two players on Pittsburgh's roster with 10 or more goals -- the other being Bryan Rust. Rakell has one more goal on his own than Crosby (nine) and Malkin (seven) have combined.
A major reason for this success is his strong numbers at 5v5. Rakell has the second-highest Goals For Percentage among Penguins skaters at 5v5, according to Evolving Hockey. Furthermore, he has the highest Fenwick For Percentage and the second-highest Corsi For Percentage on the Penguins at 5v5.
Rakell is not only great at 5v5, though. He has put up impressive underlying numbers at all strengths. In fact, only Crosby has a higher Expected Goals For Per 60 Minutes at all strengths this season. And this in spite of some not-so-great isolated numbers on the power play.
Rakell struggled in the 2023-24 season with the Penguins. In fact, the 15 goals he has now represent his entire goal total across 70 games in 2023-24. It was a far cry from the 60-point performance he put up with Pittsburgh in 2022-23.
Now, it seems as if the veteran winger has returned to form. If the Penguins continue playing well, he could be a piece the team decides to hang on to. However, trading him now also makes a ton of sense.
Rakell is not getting any younger. The Swedish native is 31 years old and could have his best years behind him. Additionally, he carries a cap hit of $5 million through the 2027-28 season. There are reasons to keep him and hurdles to clear before a trade can happen. But it is unlikely he can maintain his 36-goal, 63-point pace for the next few seasons.
This move is likely something the Penguins need to pull off in the offseason. However, they should find a way to move Rakell to another team as soon as the opportunity arises. It allows Pittsburgh to continue adding young talent. And it allows the veteran winger to play a larger role on a team that could use his goal-scoring ability.