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NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman says "Penguins are open for business"

The Penguins have gotten off to a really poor start this year with a 6-9-3 record, and they are apparently ready to listen on any player not named Crosby or Malkin.

By Tyler Miller |
Nov 11, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) and center Evgeni Malkin (71) react on the ice against the Dallas Stars during the third period at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Nov 11, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) and center Evgeni Malkin (71) react on the ice against the Dallas Stars during the third period at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The Pittsburgh Penguins are in a spot that everyone expected them to be, but not this early. Not when the team still has Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang all still together on the team. But with the team's 6-9-3 start to the year, Elliotte Friedman in his 32 Thoughts Article said, "The Penguins have let teams know they are open for business."

Friedman continued by saying that GM Kyle Dubas is looking for young NHL players, prospects, and draft picks in trades.

Trading Lars Eller is just the start for the Penguins

The other day, the Penguins decided to trade 35-year-old center Lars Eller back to the Washington Capitals for a 2025 fifth round-pick and a 2027 third round-pick. That is just the start and it will only keep going from there.

Friedman also said in his article that "Drew O'Connor and Marcus Pettersson are among those to follow. Pettersson deservedly gets a lot of attention, but O'Connor's low number ($925,000) and flexibility makes him attractive too.

If the Penguins really want to do this right, players like Anthony Beauvillier, Noel Acciari, Rickard Rakell, could be more players that could follow Eller out the door. Rakell would be tough to move with a contract that pays him over 5 million dollars a year, but he has had a good year so far and could be a hot commodity.

The young guys need playing time if the season continues to falter

Youngsters like Sam Poulin, Vasily Pomomarev, Tristan Broz, and Rutger McGroarty are all deserving of getting some run in the NHL for the Penguins this season.

They have all performed well in AHL's Wilkes-Barre Scranton, and if the Penguins season continues to go downhill, they need to get some playing time with the likes of Malkin and Crosby.

Poulin actually was called up the other day and made his season debut last night against the Detroit Red Wings and Ponomarev was just called up today from Wilkes-Barre.

But all four of these guys should get some NHL run, should things continue to go bad and trades still get made.

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