The Pittsburgh Penguins figure to be active in the trade market this offseason. Let’s see if there are some potential matches.
Now that the Pittsburgh Penguins have their head coach in place, attention is going to be shifting to the roster that Dan Muse is going to be working with when the 2025-26 season begins. The Penguins are not expected to be overly active in free agency, but do figure to be heavily involved in the trade market. That could mean selling off their own veterans as part of their transition phase (Erik Karlsson … we’re looking at you), or trying to turn some of their supply of draft picks into more immediate/near-term NHL help.
We have already talked endlessly about the players on the Penguins roster that could be dealt, so let’s take a look at some of the outside options that they might be in the market to acquire.
Specifically, let’s look at some of the various NHL offseason trade boards and see who might be a good match and who should be avoided.
Jason Robertson, Dallas Stars
Age: 25
Contract status: One-year remaining at $7.75 million, and then one more year of restricted free agency before UFA status
Good match for the Penguins? The possibility of Robertson being available for a trade seems …. kind of baffling …. but there is plenty of smoke around his name going into the offseason. He is one of the best players on one of the NHL’s best teams and is still very much in the prime of his career. If the Penguins were even remotely close to contending I would say “shut up and take my draft picks” and want the Penguins to do whatever they could to acquire him.
Players this good, still in their prime, do not become available very often.
But with the Stars in the middle of a salary cap crunch, Robertson due for a new contract, and the Stars going through some stuff after another Western Conference Final loss the idea is at least being presented.
I love Robertson as a player. I think the Stars should keep him (beyond this season). And if they don’t, teams should be lining up to fight for the right to trade for him.
But the Penguins shouldn’t be one of those teams. Even though Robertson is still in a prime age and is a salary cap steal this upcoming season, his next contract will be significant, and acquiring him would likely cost multiple first-round picks and a top prospect. The Penguins are not in a position to be trading any of their three first-round picks over the next two years (and certainly not their 2026 pick … or that Rangers pick if it is in 2026), or a Rutgery McGroarty or Ville Koivunen, for one player in their mid-20s that’s about to see their price skyrocket.
The price in terms of assets would likely just be too high for where the Penguins are this offseason.
Marco Rossi, Minnesota Wild
Age: 23
Contract status: Restricted free agent
Good match for the Penguins? In terms of likely cost it’s a better match than Robertson, even if Rossi isn’t as good of a player.
The Wild seem to have lost some faith in Rossi after reducing his role in the playoffs and don’t seem willing to match his asking price as a restricted free agent. At this point it almost seems like it’s a matter of when, and not if, he gets traded this offseason.
For me it would ultimately come down to price — both in terms of trade assets and what Rossi is going to command.
I know he’s smaller and doesn’t fit the “let’s get tougher to play against” mindset that Kyle Dubas seems to have this offseason, but he’s a slick offensive player that is likely still improving and could be a significant part of the next good Penguins team. With Evgeni Malkin likely entering his final season you’re going to need a No. 2 center sooner rather than later. Could Rossi be that sort of player?
This is at least a call you make and see if the asking price is within reason. I don’t know if it would be. But it would 100 percent be less than Robertson’s asking price, while still potentially bringing you a long-term fit.
Bowen Byram, Buffalo Sabres
Age: 23
Contract status: Restricted free agent
Good match for the Penguins? Byram hasn’t yet become the star that he was projected to be when he first broke into the league, but 1) he’s still only 23, and 2) he’s also still one heck of a player. His 1.31 points per 60 minutes of 5-on-5 play were 14th among NHL defensemen this past season despite playing on a pretty lousy team.
The left side of the Penguins defense is a short-term and long-term black hole of talent, and Byram could step into the lineup tomorrow and be their best option on that side while also being a long-term fit.
He’s good. He’s productive. He’s also probably going to be in extremely high-demand given the lack of quality defensemen on the free agent market.
The Penguins should be interested from a hockey standpoint. But the asking price is going to be a likely deterrent.
JJ Peterka, Buffalo Sabres
Age: 23
Contract status: Restricted free agent
Good match for the Penguins? The vibes in Buffalo have to be absolutely rancid for them to have players like Byram and Peterka that are in their early 20s and on the trade block. Very grim, bleak situation.
As for Peterka, I put him in the same category as Robertson: Love the fit from a hockey standpoint, love the player, but the asking price is probably going to be beyond what the Penguins should be paying at this point.
Isaac Howard, Tampa Bay Lightning
Age: 21
Contract status: Unsigned former first-round pick
Good match for the Penguins? Okay, now we’re talking. The reigning Hobey Baker Award winner does not seem likely to sign with the Tampa Bay Lightning, and he is very much on the trade block. Dubas showed a year ago that he is willing to make a move on players like this when he acquired McGroarty from the Winnipeg Jets, so it’s definitely worth kicking the tires on Howard.
There seems to be a pretty wide range of opinions on his NHL upside (some people love him; some people don’t), but he’s a talented player that could add to the prospect depth.
Matias Maccelli, Utah Mammoth
Age: 24
Contract status: One year remaining at $3.425 million and then a restricted free agent
Good match for the Penguins? Maccelli’s first two years in the NHL were pretty impressive from an offensive and play-making standpoint. During his first years in the league he was averaging 1.54 assists per 60 minutes of 5-on-5 play (18th in the NHL) and 0.88 primary assists per 60 minutes (43rd in the NHL). Then in year three everything sort of bottomed out for him, his production dropped and he found himself as a regular healthy scratch. Now he could find himself out of Utah entirely.
The Penguins have 20 picks in rounds 2-5 over the next three seasons. The more picks you make, the more likely you are to find a future NHL player. But part of the reason you collect that many picks is so you can also take a flier on a talented player that might need a change of scenery. If you could get him for one of those mid-round picks …. I would be all over it.
Rebuilding isn’t just about selling off veterans for draft picks and prospects. Sometimes it’s about taking on cheap reclamation projects. Maybe you rebuild their value into something you can trade for a bigger return in the future. Maybe you find a player that can be a long-term fit. Maybe it fails and you end up with the same result as most mid-round picks — nothing.
Lukas Reichel, Chicago Blackhawks
Age: 23
Contract status: One year remaining at $1.2 million and then restricted free agent
Good match for the Penguins? Speed and talent are not lacking for him, but consistency certainly is. Everything I just said about Maccelli also applies here. I don’t know how much urgency the Blackhawks would have in moving him given the status of their own rebuild, but Frank Seravalli has him at No. 23 on his most recent trade board. I think he’s worth calling about to see if a coach that excels with teaching the game can bring something out of him with a fresh start.