There are always trade rumours surrounding the Pittsburgh Penguins. No matter what, there is always some speculation about a player looking to be moved.
Now, there are new trade rumours circulating around Pittsburgh Penguins star forward Phil Kessel.
Kessel, who was traded to the Penguins from the Toronto Maple Leafs on July 1, 2015, has been a huge contributor for the team. From the regular season to the playoffs, Phil Kessel has come up big many times. Now, his name is everywhere with headlines about him being shopped to other teams.
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Rumours
Amongst the trade rumours, Kessel stated that he wouldn’t be surprised if he was traded.
“You know what, it happens all the time, right?” Kessel told reporters. “I’ve been traded before, and if I get traded again, it is what it is. It’s a business, and if I’m somewhere else, I’ll play hard for them.
GM Jim Rutherford surely doesn’t plan to trade Kessel anytime soon either.
“He’s an important part. I don’t want to sit here and say that a certain player’s not going to get traded at some point in his career.” Rutherford told TSN. I mean, Phil already did. But that’s not something that I foresee happening right now.”
Whether the rumours are true or not, the Penguins know that Kessel is a valuable piece to this team and they have to put some careful thought into this decision.
Pros and Cons
So let’s look at some of the immediate pros and cons to trading Kessel. Well trading Kessel would be a desperation trade for the good of the future. We are tight on cap space right now, and we still have holes to fill. Trading Kessel would free up lots of space while getting some assets back in which we can flip later.
The cons? Well we lose an elite winger that undoubtedly was one of the biggest factors in helping us win back-to-back Stanley Cups.
Kessel has a limited no trade clause on his contract that would prevent him from being traded to teams he doesn’t want to go to. Only time will tell where Kessel ends up for the next season.