Pittsburgh Penguins aren’t exactly lighting the hockey world on fire to start the 2024-25 season.
They sit in a basement spot in the Metropolitan Division with a 5-7-2 record, and while they have plenty of season left to turn things around – and just six points separate them from the Carolina Hurricanes, in first place – they have an excess of players and a lot of young people waiting in the wings.
Some of the biggest pending unrestricted free agents, like forward Lars Eller and defenseman Marcus Pettersson, could be worth keeping at least until the trade deadline because of their high value to the team. NHL roster.
However, there are other players who, while valuable to the Penguins, might be a little more replaceable and could still get a decent return. And they can also help free up roster space for other players to take a chance.
Christmas Acciari
© Stephen R. Sylvanie – USA TODAY Sports
The Penguins entered the 2024-25 regular season with a surplus of forwards, causing a slight logjam in the lineup. In fact, the Penguins will have one extra forward once Matt Nieto and Bryan Rust are activated from injured reserve.
So, looking at some of the Penguins’ options, Acciari’s strong start to the season deserves a spot on this list.
Make no mistake: Acciari is an important player for the Penguins. Head coach Mike Sullivan pointed out that Acciari does a lot of the “thankless” work by blocking a ton of shots, delivering and taking hits to make plays, playing shorthanded and obstructing passing lanes in the defensive zone. He also has four points on the young season, putting him on pace for 24 points, which would be the second-highest total of his career.
He’s the type of depth player that any contending team wants to see on their roster during the playoffs, and deployed with the right players, he’s capable of producing at a decent rate for a fourth-line player.
Look for teams such as the Boston Bruins, Tampa Bay Lightning, Dallas Stars and Calgary Flames to want to bolster their bottom-six depth and could use a reliable veteran like Acciari in the mix.
Drew O’Connor
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One of the pending unrestricted free agents who sometimes gets lost in the shuffle is O’Connor. After a promising close to the 2023-24 season that saw him record six goals and eight points in his final 12 games and finish the season at plus-14, he has just three goals and four points in the first 14 games this season and is a team-worst minus-10.
The numbers aren’t necessarily bad for O’Connor, but overall he hasn’t always been one of the best players on the Penguins roster this season. Given his pending UFA status, it’s conceivable that Pittsburgh could acquire a mid-round asset from a team for the 26-year-old’s services.
However, there could be an opportunity to trade O’Connor and a player from a different team in a similar situation and needing a change of scenery. Some names that might stand out here are Los Angeles Kings forward Arthur Kaliyev (who is currently on injured reserve), Toronto Maple Leafs forward Nicholas Robertsonand maybe even Chicago Blackhawks forward Philipp Kurashev – although his $2.25 million cap hit poses some challenge.
And, if not O’Connor, someone like Jesse Puljujarvi can also apply the same way.
Alex Nedeljkovic
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A little surprising? Maybe. But when you think about it for a few seconds, it can make some sense, depending on the situation.
Let’s be clear: the Penguins being able to trade Tristan Jarry is certainly the most desirable outcome from a contractual standpoint. But Jarry’s marketability depends almost entirely on him. is on a hot streak after returning from his AHL conditioning stintwhich would also suggest that the Penguins are simultaneously playing pretty good hockey.
Rookie Joel Blomqvist seems destined to be assigned to the AHL when Jarry returns, but he’s clearly ready for the NHL and, arguably, better than Nedeljkovic and Jarry. If the Penguins are smart – and really look to the future – they want him on the NHL roster.
Given this, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Nedeljkovic shipped out relatively quickly. Simply put, he’s more tradeable than Jarry, even if Jarry finds his game.
It’s entirely realistic that the Penguins would attempt to trade one of their NHL goaltenders to a team in need, and if Nedeljkovic is the one to leave, teams like Colorado, Tampa Bay and Detroit could be interested. Utah could also be a suitor for either goalie, as the tandem of Connor Ingram and Karel Vejmelka has struggled to start the season.
