Pittsburgh Penguins Interested in Trading for Rasmus Ristolainen?

Last week we reported that speculation had the New Jersey Devils poking around the idea of a trade that would land them Rasmus Ristolainen from the Buffalo Sabres. This week, another team is apparently eyeing the same defenseman. According to Pittsburgh Hockey Now’s Dan Kingerski, Ristolainen is a possible trade target for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

He notes that the team is looking to add a physical defenseman to their blueline and that the 26-year-old blueliner could be a nice fit. Kingerski said he watched closely as Ristolainen was often put out the defend against Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel and he suggests the defenseman did a good job, something Brian Burke and Ron Hextall might have noticed.

As for what the Penguins would have to give up to land Ristolainen, the talk is that it would take a second-round draft pick, plus more. He wonders if the Penguins could try to offer up a solid prospect instead, and with all the changes expected out of Buffalo, who knows what the players who could be on the move will actually go for. The key to Ristolainen is the demand. If another team like the New Jersey Devils are truly interested, his price will go up.

Related: Devils Showing Interest in Sabres’ Rasmus Ristolainen, Possible Hold Up

Getting the defenseman to agree to the trade will not be an issue. He lacks trade protection and he’s already publicly discussed the uncertainty of his future in Buffalo.

Could the Penguins Fit Ristolainen In?

It’s one thing to want a player. It’s another thing to be able to fit them onto your roster. The Penguins would need to clear some cap space for Ristolainen’s $5.4 million cap hit. Perhaps they make another trade, or perhaps they lose a player to the Seattle Kraken in the expansion draft that has some salary attached to him. Either way, as is, making space for the defenseman will be tricky.

The Penguins have a number of pending UFA and RFA players on their roster, but only $3.2 million left in cap space for next season.

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