Pittsburgh Penguins: 5 Possible Offseason Trade Targets

Apr 11, 2015; Buffalo, NY, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins right wing

(72) watches as Buffalo Sabres right wing

(12) jumps to avoid a shot during the third period at First Niagara Center. Pittsburgh beats Buffalo 2 to 0. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports

Pittsburgh Penguins General Manager Jim Rutherford will be actively participating in any and all trade offers that come his way. He needs to address the top-six talent on this team, and will need to do so with a trade rather than overpaying for a scoring winger in a less-than-impressive free agent class.  And, he’s obviously no stranger to offseason deals as he sent James Neal to Nashville last summer in exchange for Patric Hornqvist and Nick Spaling.

As I touched on here, the Pittsburgh Penguins have multiple assets that should bode well on the trade market. They have the ability to move a solid young defensive prospect, along with Brandon Sutter. Also, though many will disagree, Matt Murray should also be on the table after having a superb year in the AHL. He likely performed far beyond his long-term ability this season, and his value will never be higher.

The tricky part is obviously finding a team that has a suitable target, as well as needs that the Pittsburgh Penguins can fill for them. Offseason trades are going to be hockey trades more often than not, opposite of what we see near the trade deadline as teams unload talent for picks and prospects in order to rebuild.  Let’s take a look at some possible targets.