The Pittsburgh Penguins are under pressure to find success now or risk seeing significant changes to their roster.
TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger reports general manager Kyle Dubas is listening on veteran players amid a 4-6-1 start to the season.
“What I can tell you is there’s new ownership in Pittsburgh, but the focus remains on getting younger,” Dreger explained on Insider Trading Thursday. “The difference is it’s more complex from a management perspective because even though Dubas is listening on players like Kris Letang, Erik Karlsson, Bryan Rust, and Rickard Rakell, he’s working with a cash-strict budget, not just the NHL’s salary cap.
“The players are aware of this situation and teams around the NHL are also aware that Dubas is open for business.”
The Penguins returned to the playoffs last season after a three-year drought, suffering a first-round exit at the hands of the rival Philadelphia Flyers. Pittsburgh brought back franchise icon Evgeni Malkin on a one-year, $5.5 million deal for a potentially final NHL season in the off-season, appearing committed to push for the playoffs again.
Malkin, Sidney Crosby and Letang have spent the past 21 seasons together with the Penguins, a tenure which has included three Stanley Cups. Crosby, whose future appears safe in Pittsburgh, is also a pending unrestricted free agent like Malkin, while Letang remains signed through next season at a $6.1 million cap hit and a 10-team approved trade list.
Letang, 39, has five assists in 11 games to start the season after posting three goals and 34 points in 74 games last season.
Karlsson is a pending unrestricted free agent carrying a cap hit of $10 million, but only earning $1.5 million in salary this season. He has one goal and is the Penguins’ leading scorer with 11 points in 11 games this season.
The 36-year-old blueliner posted 15 goals and 66 points in 75 games last season for his best output since joining Pittsburgh from the San Jose Sharks as part of a three-team trade in 2023. The Sharks retained $1.5 million in the deal to bring Karlsson’s cap hit down to the current $10 million.
Rust, who has three goals and five points in seven games this season, was placed on injured reserve Thursday and is expected to miss at least six weeks with a lower-body injury.
The 34-year-old winger posted 29 goals and 65 points in 72 games last season, marking three straight seasons with at least 28 goals and 55 points.
He is under contract through the 2027-28 season at a cap hit of $5.125 million.
Rakell has been no stranger to trade rumours during his time with the Penguins and remains signed through next season at a $5 million cap hit with an eight-team no-trade list. The 33-year-old winger is off to a slow start this season with one goal and four points in 11 games after posting 24 goals and 48 points in 60 games last season.
The Penguins, who picked up a 4-0 win over the Florida Panthers on Thursday, will host the Nashville Predators on Saturday.