What I'm hearing about the Penguins: Trade deadline whispers and slam dunks

ANAHEIM, Calif.

The NHL trade deadline is closer than you think.

Its set for March 7, so, technically, we still have 44 days until the deadline.

But the NHL season is shutting down for a couple of weeks during the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament.

With the looming break, we might see something of a soft trade deadline before the NHL shuts down on Feb.

8.

The Penguins have only eight games before Feb.

9 and 15 games until the March 7 actual deadline.

Advertisement Whos staying and whos going? Two names most consistently surface in my conversations with team and league sources, who were granted anonymity so they could speak freely without fear of repercussions.

The first, no surprise, is Marcus Pettersson .

Its been widely assumed all season that Pettersson will be dealt before the deadline.

As best I can tell, Pettersson likes it in Pittsburgh and wants to stay.

However, Penguins boss Kyle Dubas and Petterssons representatives havent discussed a new deal.

Its basically a foregone conclusion that Pettersson will be dealt.

The return figures to be too important for the Penguins to pass up.

Who could join him? League sources keep bringing up Drew OConnor .

That might be curious to some because, while OConnor is an effective player, his inconsistent scoring can be maddening and might make you wonder how many teams are interested.

But there is interest in OConnors size and speed and a belief that, though his development is far from done, he can help a team immediately.

This puts the Penguins in an interesting position.

OConnor is an unrestricted free agent after this season and, despite his noted inconsistencies, the Penguins like him as a player and a person.

Given their lack of prospects, especially at forward, the Penguins might be well served to give OConnor a new contract.

From what I hear, theyre not against the idea.

I also dont think theyre so enamored with OConnor that theyd turn down a reasonable trade offer if a team throws an asset Dubas way.

OConnor is a name to keep in mind.

The Penguins have very few untouchables.

Sidney Crosby isnt going anywhere, of course.

Evgeni Malkin also has a no-trade clause.

Its widely believed within the organization that Malkin will play out his contract and is likely to retire after the 2025-26 season, which would be his 20th with the Penguins.

As with Crosby, its important to Malkin that he finishes his career in Pittsburgh.

And as with Crosby, Dubas and the Penguins will respect Malkins wish.

Advertisement What about Kris Letang ? Ive never sensed its a given that Letang will retire a Penguin.

Teams would certainly be interested in his services.

I havent heard that he wants out of Pittsburgh, and Im not suggesting otherwise, but I do wonder how hed respond if Dubas received a call about him from the right team.

Erik Karlsson has played much, much better lately.

I dare say hes been very good.

Good enough for a team to take on his considerable contract? I dont know about that.

But theres no doubt that Dubas would listen.

Karlsson hasnt necessarily been a disaster I dont think thats fair but he has not played to the level the Penguins had hoped.

Given that the Penguins arent a Stanley Cup team and arent likely to be for a handful of years, why keep Karlsson if you can unload his massive salary in exchange for assets? I dont expect Bryan Rust to go anywhere, nor do I anticipate Dubas asking Rust to waive his no-trade clause that expires on July 1.

Rickard Rakell , who returned to Pittsburgh from the Penguins road trip to tend to a personal matter, is having a magnificent season.

There will be heavy interest in him.

The Penguins would trade him if theyre floored by an offer but otherwise are likely to keep him.

Hes worth the $5 million he makes annually and plays extremely well with Crosby, which the Penguins value.

Just how aggressive will Dubas be between now and the March 7 deadline? Its impossible to project, of course, but from what Im hearing, hes going to be very busy.

Im not expecting a fire sale, as other outlets have reported.

Fire sales dont really happen in this era and, because so many teams are cap-strapped and others are unsure if theyre buyers or sellers I dont even know how active the deadline period will be.

Dubas is going to move multiple players.

I have no doubt.

Does that qualify as a fire sale? I dont think so, but that doesnt mean he wont be fairly aggressive.

Advertisement Even if the Penguins go on an outrageous hot streak, I still fully anticipate Dubas to sell at the deadline.

He knows what he has to do.

Hes not in this to grab the second wild card and lose in the first round.

Dubas vision is much more grand than that.

The problem is that fans might need to find some patience.

Some players maintain that the trade deadline has no impact on their play that they can block out the noise.

Ive never believed this for the simple reason that theyre all human.

I sat down with Pettersson to discuss this the other day in Los Angeles.

As usual, he was very open.

Its hard, Pettersson said in a serious tone.

You just learn over time that this is a business.

Its incredibly hard to block it all out, but I think I have found that you have to try.

You really have to try.

You focus on the thing you can control and nothing else.

Youve got to train yourself to do that.

Ive been through it.

Ive had my name thrown out there a lot.

Its something that I cant really control, though, you know? All I can control is the game Im putting out there on the ice every night.

Thats what Im trying to do.

Earlier this season, many people believed coach Mike Sullivan was on the hot seat because of the Penguins horrible start.

He never was.

That doesnt mean Sullivan is bulletproof, of course.

I suppose if the Penguins plummeted to the bottom of the standings and Sullivan lost control of the locker room, sure, he could be terminated.

Stranger things have happened.

The fact is, however, that the Penguins front office is very pleased with the job Sullivan has done.

The front office understands that many of the goaltending issues were not his fault.

The Penguins also have largely cleaned up their defensive messes from earlier this season.

The Penguins future Hall of Famers love Sullivan.

And he has overseen noticeable improvement in recent weeks from young players such as OConnor, Phil Tomasino and Cody Glass .

Advertisement Dubas and the front office are quite pleased with Sullivan.

He isnt going anywhere anytime soon.

The organization is quietly excited about Rutger McGroartys performance in Wilkes-Barre.

That doesnt mean his recall is imminent.

Theres a strong chance hell remain in the American Hockey League for the rest of the season.

Id certainly expect him to be a fixture in the Penguins lineup next season, though.

Thats the trajectory he is on.

Improved skating will always be the final frontier for McGroarty, but everyone Ive spoken to in the organization believes everything else about this kid on and off the ice is polished enough for him to be a very important part of the Penguins for the next decade.

If he continues to play at this level and has a good training camp in September, theres every reason to believe McGroarty will be in the NHL for good at that point.

Its a matter of time.

(Photo of Marcus Pettersson: Harrison Barden / Getty Images).

This article has been shared from the original article on theathleticuk, here is the link to the original article:

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