‘Open for Business’: Friedman Puts Several Penguins on Trade Block

It seems the NHL trade rumors are about to get loud, and there will be many. The Pittsburgh Penguins are “open for business,” according to 32 Thoughts purveyor and Sportsnet reporter Elliotte Friedman.

The reports have been trickling out this week, and indeed, Pittsburgh Hockey Now has heard the hockey world’s lunch table gossip. On his podcast Wednesday, NHL analyst Pierre McGuire said the organization looks like it’s in “panic mode” with the distant future returns for center Lars Eller on Tuesday. Friedman went further, listing the Penguins who are next out the door.

Read More: 32 Thoughts, Where Do the Penguins Go From Here

He also put a new name on the list: Drew O’Connor, who will be an unrestricted free agent after this season.

“Marcus Pettersson and O’Connor are among those to follow,” Friedman wrote in his 32 Thoughts column on Sportsnet. “Pettersson deservedly gets a lot of attention, but O’Connor’s low (salary) number ($925,000) and flexibility make him attractive, too”

O’Connor’s Penguins journey took a turn Wednesday night as coach Mike Sullivan used him at center for numerous shifts throughout the game, including a short–but successful–spell at second-line center.

Read More: Penguins Report Card: Team’s Biggest Issue, Did Sullivan Stumble on Solution?

Friedman also reported that Kris Letang could be available, but conceded teams aren’t lining up because of Letang’s injury history, potential insurance issues due to preexisting conditions, and the no-movement clause.

“Even if he wished for a new address, it’s not going to be easy. No one disrespects Letang, fiercely prideful and determined,” wrote Friedman. “But his history of injuries and ailments make trading for the 37-year-old a gamble. And, it is difficult to know exactly how it all works, but NHL contracts can be uninsurable for pre-existing conditions. That’s a worry with him.”

The Penguins have just six wins in their first 18 games, and the Eller trade merely ignited the trade chatter rather than motivating the team. Dubas received a 2027 third-round pick and Chicago’s 2025 fifth-rounder from the Washington Capitals for Eller. In an email to multiple outlets, including PHN, Dubas said he had been working to trade Eller since last spring, but Washington was the first to meet the price.

Pettersson’s comparables put him in a high-yield category. Last season, the Philadelphia Flyers received a first-round pick from the Colorado Avalanche for Sean Walker.

Friedman believes the coming dearth of free-agent defensemen will drive up the cost for Pettersson. The Penguins’ wishlist in return for any of their players begins with young NHL players, followed by already drafted prospects or picks.

Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas has scouted other games, including Montreal vs. Buffalo and Nashville vs. Washington. Of course, Dubas completed the trade with Washington for Eller on Tuesday, one day after the team set a dubious franchise mark by allowing six goals to the Dallas Stars in the first period. Never before had a Penguins team done that on home ice. Team meetings and talks with coach Mike Sullivan followed.