The swirl of off-season activity has largely missed the Pittsburgh Penguins as outstanding issues remain unresolved, and the questions about trades and trade values have come to dominate the public thinking.<\/p>\n
Which is just fine for PHN\u2019s Penguins Q&A.<\/p>\n
First, we\u2019re going on a short detour because I have seen too many \u201crumors.\u201d You will notice a great disparity in reporting between the established local and national reporters and the burgeoning crop of internet analysts who have not yet proven themselves or have been wrong on very big stories. It might seem quite harsh to point out the chasm, but it is essential as the trade winds blow through the Penguins organization.<\/p>\n
I went through that period of my career when sources loved to chirp things, and a few times, I was left hanging out to dry because I wasn\u2019t savvy enough to know a source\u2019s opinion being passed as fact, or people who wanted to plant a story. In the current environment, GMs are holding their cards even tighter, which means fewer credible sources, despite the proliferation of \u201cinsiders.\u201d<\/p>\n
One of the small sites was busted again this morning by an agent who would have benefited from any Evgeny Kuznetsov story being true, but nevertheless, the agent called it out as false.<\/p>\n
I hope you\u2019re picking up what I\u2019m laying down. Just remember, bad gas travels fast. One ill-gotten trade rumor can lap the internet before reality leaves the starting line.<\/p>\n
I can\u2019t offer second and third-hand stuff like I see the rumor mavens and small site writers doing. Sure, I\u2019ve heard Erik Karlsson<\/a> chatter, but it has bounced off the walls a few times before it gets to me. If I report it, you would take it seriously (as you should) even if I warned\u2013this is from a friend who heard it from an agent who heard it at dinner with a client who heard it from a GM.<\/p>\n You\u2019d still take it seriously and hold me accountable (as you should). So, just remember to use a filter and pay close attention to the language. Very, very close attention.<\/p>\n Also, to catch you up on the inside joke from the Live Chats that I\u2019m using more and more on X, a \u201cHoney Mustard question\u201d is one that has no relevance to the conversation or an ask for inside information that I have not reported.<\/p>\n It comes from comic Kathleen Madigan\u2019s<\/a> early days. She did a routine about being a waitress and reciting the list of salad dressings for customers, \u201cWe have French, Ranch, Italian, and Thousand Island,\u201d and they would reply, \u201cWell, do you have Honey Mustard?\u201d<\/p>\n Well, did ya hear me say Honey Mustard?<\/p>\n So, when someone tweets, \u201cAre you hearing anything on Erik Karlsson?\u201d The blunt answer is\u2013well, did you see me write anything on Erik Karlsson? So, instead of being brusque, that\u2019s a \u201cHoney Mustard question.\u201d Now, you\u2019re in on the joke!<\/p>\n Penguins Q&A<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Turcotte and a 1st for Rakell?<\/p>\n \u2014 Mcqueen (@mcqueenkachow12) July 11, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n McQueen has made a potential offer from the LA Kings here.<\/p>\n No, that\u2019s not enough, but you\u2019re getting warm. Many of the nearly three dozen submissions were about Penguins trades and trade values. Obviously, Rickard Rakell is the primary name being floated in the NHL trade rumors, but general manager Kyle Dubas has held firm on his valuations.<\/p>\n I believe something like that was offered or discussed at the trade deadline, but it\u2019s simply not enough for a 70-point player with a complete game who notched 35 goals.<\/p>\n The first-round pick is a start, but Turcotte is a low-scoring 24-year-old who has played primarily on the bottom lines. Dubas is correct to hold out for a more promising prospect rather than a seat filler.<\/p>\n The cost for Rakell should be a promising young player or a good prospect, and a good pick.<\/p>\n Dubas will get it. Eventually.<\/p>\n If Nick Robertsons last name was Smith would anyone give a sh*t about trading for him ?<\/p>\n \u2014 Ed S (@EdGrr113) July 11, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n Speaking of promising young players, Nick Robertson has languished in Toronto and not taken advantage of his chances. He had 15 goals but only 22 points in 69 games despite being given an opportunity to earn increased ice time. I\u2019m not sure what his last name has to do with anything\u2013because his brother Jason is a star? No, why Nick has been on everyone\u2019s radar for several years is because he had a standout camp before the 2020 COVID bubble playoffs. He was EXCELLENT, which set expectations quite high.<\/p>\n The bloom is off Robertson\u2019s rose because he failed to break through this season, but he remains a great opportunity for a reclemation project. However, it doesn\u2019t appear as if the Toronto Maple Leafs want to let the RFA go despite his requests to go elsewhere.<\/p>\n Are the pens actively looking for a goalie?<\/p>\n \u2014 Price (@priceclub01) July 11, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n Such as\u2026who? I believe the Penguins would do well to bring in a veteran goalie on a PTO so they have insurance against Joel Blomqvist not being up to the NHL task. Sergei Murashov probably isn\u2019t ready yet, and I haven\u2019t seen NHL goalie chops from Filip Larsson (We\u2019ve written about that a few times during our Wilkes-Barre scouting trips<\/a>).<\/p>\n Who are the primary goalies next year? Jarry get moved?<\/p>\n \u2014 NuttingHostage (@nutting_hostage) July 11, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n Murashov<\/a> is the key to everything. He might be able to push for a starter\u2019s role by later next season, but the team cannot rush it. Don\u2019t expect a Jarry trade, though it could happen under the conditions that he is playing well and Murashov or Blomqvist are ready.<\/p>\n How valuable of an asset does EK bring back. How much salary could the Pens retain?<\/p>\n \u2014 Brian Hammer (@BrianDaHammer) July 11, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n It depends on how much salary Dubas will swallow. I\u2019d caution Penguins fans not to expect much in return. Karlsson has a world of talent, but no team has been able to successfully harness it for a more successful situation in nearly a decade. That\u2019s a lot of talent and a lot of questions about fitting into a team concept.<\/p>\n If Dubas gets more than a second-rounder and a B-level prospect, call it a big win.<\/p>\n Do you envision any scenario where Rust plays out his contract with the Pens? I don\u2019t think he\u2019s a guy you want to lose in a rebuild<\/p>\n \u2014 Jim Madden (@jmadden34) July 11, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n Absolutely.<\/p>\n Recall earlier in the week when one of my tweets went semi-viral, as many people understood, but the hardheaded amongst us had to argue and make a fuss.<\/p>\n The video I retweeted was of 2025 first-round pick Will Horcoff<\/a> gushing over getting a call from Sidney Crosby<\/a>. Here\u2019s how it affects Bryan Rust staying: players idolize Crosby. The young players put him on a pedestal, even as they publicly admit they can\u2019t. The Penguins need someone else to keep the prospects\u2019 feet on the ground and to pass along NHL wisdom and the pride of being a Penguin.<\/p>\n Unless a team pays up for Rust, Dubas would do well to keep him. Many rebuilding teams have gone it alone without the guardrails in the locker room. Those safeguards and leaders actually speed things up.<\/p>\n Is it reasonable to think that Sid will have another legit playoff run before the end of his career in Pittsburgh?<\/p>\n \u2014 Jason!!!!! (@JasonSchweikar1) July 11, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n You can hope. I don\u2019t like the odds unless he plays four or five more years, but you can hope. This season is probably the last for the core three, as there\u2019s a solid chance that Evgeni Malkin retires. Once one leg of the core three goes, will any others? The Penguins are in desperate need of renewal, and if Crosby sticks it out (though I agree with Marc-Andre Fleury and Max Talbot that he should not go through a rebuild), perhaps a few of the draft picks land, and the team could be back in the playoffs in three years?<\/p>\n Read More: Sources: Malkin\u2019s Penguins Future Beyond Next Season Remains \u2026 Undecided<\/a><\/p>\n What\u2019s the most likely scenario for Hayes and Accariri? Will teams take them without a sweetener?<\/p>\n \u2014 Kevin (@kbeamerm3) July 11, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n I don\u2019t see how they fit with this team. Hayes is not especially good defensively, and at this point in his career, his offense has evaporated. Former coach Mike Sullivan<\/a> stashed him in the press box for quite a while last season. At this point, a player in his 30s who is press box worthy shouldn\u2019t be on the roster.<\/p>\n Acciari is another matter. I find the negativity towards him to be quite odd. He\u2019s the one forward who plays a physical, gritty game. The Penguins\u2019 team defense has been almost laughable for a couple of seasons, and the fourth liners have been given nearly impossible tasks, starting a vast majority of their shifts in the defensive zone.<\/p>\n Acciari does all of those little things that add up to winning. However, the bumps and bruises of his reckless abandon are catching up with him. He will turn 34 on Dec. 1, and I\u2019m not sure how much longer he\u2019s an NHL player. Surely, some team could use a little bit of scrap iron, but he is somewhat in the way as the Penguins look to find diamonds in the rough or open up spots for young players.<\/p>\n Thoughts of where Filip H\u00e5llander will fit into the lineup?<\/p>\n