Pittsburgh Penguins
The Penguins are languishing in the Metro Division. GM Kyla Dubas’ strategy has mostly failed to yield results on the scoreboard. At the time of this article, the Penguins at 6-9-2, two points ahead of the last-place Columbus Blue Jackets.
Now, the Pens have a number of untradeable contracts because Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang are thought to be untouchable. But beyond those three, anyone could be on the block.
If the Pens find themselves well out of a playoff spot by Christmas, Dubas may choose to do a light retool (the club will wait until Crosby retires to blow everything up).
Piece like Anthony Beauvillier, Drew O’Connor, and Blake Lizotte could potentially be interesting fits from the Pens. On the blue line Marcus Pettersson and Matt Grzelcyk could be brought in as defensive depth, but none of these players would significantly help the Leafs.
The most interesting piece on the Penguins is Erik Karlsson. The ageless defender is still putting up elite on-ice numbers and would be the number-one defender the Leafs desperately need. He is 34 and has three years left at almost ten million, but if the Penguins retained salary he would be an incredible addition to the Leafs.
A fire sale by the Penguins could happen sooner than anticipated. The team already started selling off pieces like trading Lars Eller to the Washington Capitals for picks. It’s becoming increasingly evident that the Pens have a lost season upon them.