- Elliotte Friedman reports the Penguins want to move veteran forwards
- Pittsburgh is 3-5-1 and has lost three straight
- Read below for who could be on the move
The Penguins want to clear out some veteran forwards, and a teardown of the forward group may finally be coming.
Elliotte Friedman shared on his latest Saturday Headlines that Pittsburgh has made its desire known to move veteran forwards and create room for young players. No specific names came up in the report.
The push comes after a rough start. Pittsburgh dropped a 6-2 decision to the Golden Knights in Las Vegas on Saturday, its third straight loss, and sits at 3-5-1.
Meanwhile, the kids in the minors are playing like they’re ready. Avery Calvert and Rutger McGroarty both have nine points in six games for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, per Pro Hockey Rumors. Mikhail Ilyin has seven points and Tristan Broz has six.
Figuring out who goes is the harder part. Bryan Rust is 34 and has been a step slow early, though he put up 65 points in each of the last two seasons and would draw plenty of interest. Rickard Rakell has just two points and could be in the same boat.
Rust and Rakell skate on the top line next to Sidney Crosby, so moving either one would be a bigger swing than clearing out a bottom-six winger. Connor Dewar, Elmer Soderblom and the injured Justin Brazeau fit the lower-cost group.
Pittsburgh already shuffled its forward group this month, sending Filip Hallander to Edmonton in the Spencer Stastney trade. Our look at the Penguins forward logjam had 18 forwards fighting for 13 roster spots back in August.
Calvert, McGroarty, Ilyin and Zonnon are the names to watch if the Penguins do start making room.
