Frank Seravalli threw out a list of 25 trade targets for the off-season.
Interestingly, no Penguin players were on the list. Last summer, Seravalli included players like Erik Karlsson, Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell at times. Following a playoff appearance
this season, it doesn’t seem like those names are quite in the rumor mill like they were last year. For now at least. Here’s the full list:
There are some intriguing names on this list to consider. Especially with Kyle Dubas’s end of season comments about being interested in “players in their mid-to-late 20s” and others where “your situation in your spot is not going well and you have some control”.
By those qualifications alone, Jordan Kyrou (no trade clause), Brock Boeser (full no movement) and Morgan Frost (limited no trade clause) fit as far as age and as players who didn’t make the playoffs last season and have control over where they could go next.
Morgan Reilly in the top spot also has to be worth a glance. The people involved in firing Dubas from Toronto (namely, Brendan Shanahan) are gone, as is the Dubas replacement of GM. The Pens and Leafs worked together on a Connor Dewar+Conor Timmins trade, there doesn’t seem to be an impassable barrier between the clubs, despite whatever feelings linger. Rielly still has four years remaining on his contract (plus a full no movement clause) and is a little older than the preferred age range, which might ultimately make him a pass for the Pens at this time. The familiarity with Dubas, however, can’t be outright dismissed.
Ilya Lyubshkin as this year’s potential Dallas salary cap casualty could also be a situation where the Pens are interested in lending their services as a dumping ground, for a fee of course. Perhaps some creative machinations could land them Mavrik Bourque in the proceedings, lesser and probably more realistically a decent draft pick to add to the collection. There are other veterans with high salaries and multiple years remaining listed that likely will have less fit for Pittsburgh this time around.
Elias Pettersson would be the biggest bombshell and boldest move of the summer, for the Pens or any other team out there. The talented player has had two terrible seasons but has a history of a 100 point year. He also has six years remaining on an $11.6 million dollar cap hit. When he’s at his best, he’s worth it, but he hasn’t been anywhere near that level in quite a while, presenting a sizeable gamble.
Down a rung to the younger players, there are some expected choices for the rumor mill like Shane Wright, Kent Johnson and Mason McTavish. While these players might be available for discussion to some degree, getting their respective current teams to actually complete a trade will be more difficult than it may appear. Time will tell just how much significant interest is out there for these players and if they get a new start somewhere else or stay where they’ve been.
