If a team wants to add a Penguin player, it’s going to cost them
It’s now deep into July and the Penguins are still sitting on all their veterans. They haven’t made a major trade since the draft. Time is going by but we’re still waiting to see what might be the next shoe to drop as Kyle Dubas works to reshape the roster and set the club up for success in the future. The lack of culminated trades doesn’t mean that there hasn’t been a flurry of talks and attempts behind the scenes.
The asking prices for Rust, Rakell, and Karlsson all remain high as the Penguins look to retool (w/ @frank_seravalli) pic.twitter.com/rGRtXg7cnW
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) July 15, 2025
The surprising thing about the market being so quiet — Penguins or otherwise — is that several teams are sitting out there with holes to address and presumably the ambition to match.
Frank Seravalli: Still in the market, still in the mix for a top six forward: Red Wings, Maple Leafs, Flames, Canucks, Rangers, Devils, Capitals, Blues, Kraken and Kings – Bleacher Report
— NHL Rumour Report (@NHLRumourReport) July 15, 2025
One thing becoming clear is the news is likely to break out of nowhere, with little notice or build up. Watch it be a trade of Rakell/Rust to not even one of the 10 teams named above believed to be in the market for an upgrade. (Then again, with so many different names listed that might be covering enough bases..) Anyways, news about the Pens these days goes from hearing absolutely nothing to then seeing a completed piece of business come out of left field. This is by design from Dubas.
every penguins rumour this summer: dubas could make this move, but also, he might not…
every penguins move this summer: zero advanced warning, no rumours whatsoever
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) July 14, 2025
guy was mentored by lou. pittsburgh media and insiders in general are having to basically guess what the front office is doing because nothing is getting out.
Sullivan firing? no
Muse hiring? no one had heard of him
Pens’ draft picks? no
Free agents? no
Dumba/Silov trades? no— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) July 14, 2025
Dubas doesn’t have any leaks on his side. He’s very old school like that, media doesn’t get hints or directives about what is coming down the pike. It’s just nothing, nothing, nothing and then boom something happens.
As of now, we’re still in one of those “nothing” areas. That could change at the snap of a finger once some team out there steps up and meets the price for a Penguin player on the trade block.