Pittsburgh Penguins

30-Goal Forward’s Time May Finally Be Winding Down with Penguins

As the Pittsburgh Penguins look to get younger, it appears one forward’s time with the team might be coming to an end.

by
NHL Trade Talk
October 21, 2026

It sounds like the Pittsburgh Penguins are likely to trade Rickard Rakell. As news surfaces that the Penguins are looking to trade older players for youth, Rakell’s name is surfacing as the most logical trade candidate. He’s struggling this season, and he doesn’t fit the timeline for a Penguins roster that will be pivoting over the next year or two.

Chris Johnston of The Athletic writes in his recent trade board column:

“No stranger to the Big Board in the past year or two, Rakell’s time may finally be winding down with a Penguins team slowly transitioning to a younger group. While he’s delivered an outsized amount of production on a reasonable contract, it’s been a slow start to the year for both player and team. Still, Rakell is an above-average finisher who has a history of holding his own when playing alongside highly skilled linemates. He’s scored at a 29-goal-per-82-game pace across the last four seasons.”

Rakell has this season and next on his current deal at $5 million per season. He holds an eight-team no-trade list. That’s a bit of leverage to determine where he goes, but not a lot. If the Penguins can find an interested taker, they could move him before the trade deadline for a reasonable return.

GM Kyle Dubas would be wise to let Rakell find his game. His trade value is arguably at its lowest right now, and if he starts producing offensively, a team or two might be willing to take a risk on a traditionally good scorer.

Was Rakell Almost Traded This Summer?

Recent buzz had Rakell mentioned as part of a trade package that would have seen the Montreal Canadiens acquire him and then flip him to the Columbus Blue Jackets as part of a Kirill Marchenko trade. Ultimately, that didn’t happen and the Blue Jackets picked up Matthew Knies in a deal that brought Marchenko to Toronto.

Does Rakell have value? The Penguins were said to be ready to move him last season but the ask was high. The hope in Pittsburgh is that they didn’t miss their window to get a solid return.

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