I think Karlsson, Rust who fits most teams needing a vet RW with cup experience. Rakell I keep unless an offer is just to good. Pickering will be here next year as will Brunicke and a healthy St Ivany. Pens also have Rutgers, Broz, Ponomarev ready to go next year. Maybe the Finnish LW if he can add more size to play in the NHL. His skill is very good but his size and skating limits him as a top 6 NHL forward. But can be improved this off season. Pens have three main issues. Geno is simply not the player he was. But one more year is not a killer. Letang still skates well and one more year is OK. Jarry physically is not capable to play at the level needed. Either LTIR or eat the money in a buyout which Dubas is loath to do. Graves third pairing in a rising cap can be OK. Select a top center and RW in this years draft and rebuild begins in 2026 with Rust traded, Karlsson for a nice package and new head coach.
None of this matters unless your last statement becomes a reality. And for the record, I would extend Malkin for one more season beyond next if he is interested in playing. We don't have anyone remotely close to replacing him, and IF we are able to get a quality center in this draft, he should replace Hayes on the roster, not Malkin.
What are your expectations with Rakell and our current roster over the next 3 seasons? Do you think it's worth taking the chance that Rakell can have another solid season like this one were his value is probably at the highest? Are you keeping him because you believe we are a playoff team over the next few seasons? We eventually have to give the younger players a shot as well here, McGroarty, Broz, Pono, Koivunen, 2025 pick...
The other players you mentioned which I agree regardless that are priorities to be moved out as they are UFA's to be, aren't bringing you back anything valuable to speed up anything... At best you are getting 4th round picks!! That's why I move Rakell and EK, I want to try to speed things up.
McGroarty-Crosby-Marner
As long as 87 plays for this team, he needs a first-line LW. Of course we need to make room for the kids. Guess what? THERE IS ROOM NOW if we wanted to make it. We clearly don't want to make room for kids because Mike Sullivan is the head coach. As for the other players to trade, just keep accumulating assets. And by moving THOSE players, you get to bring up the kids to play WITH guys like Rakell and Karlsson...instead of with guys like Cody fricking' Glass.
I agree that we need to speed things up. We just disagree on how we go about doing that. You want to trade our best players to get there, and I want to keep them to get there.
Status quo…we need to draft McKenna…anything else next season would be a travesty and set the Pens back…do NOT improve the goaltending lol!
This is the Kyle Davidson GM model for how not to rebuild a franchise. Putting all of our eggs in the Gavin McKenna basket is the worst plan. Might as well not have a plan because this is a 1/32 chance to succeed. When we landed Mario Lemieux the NHL was a 21-team league. 11 teams is a lot of teams.
Besides, we will likely be in the McKenna sweepstakes organically. Mike Sullivan will ensure this to be true. And if someone in the organization decides to make a coaching change, that is well worth losing out on McKenna IMHO.
Pens are sellers but the biggest moves are in the off season. Rakell unless Dubas is blown away will keep RR with a contract that is growing in value in a rising cap. I still think Karlsson will be moved at the draft and dubas is now in the young prospect return vs picks only. Hayes, Heinen, the LD who is playing better are all available for teams wanting depth for a run.
Grz is the only one of those three that has any value to teams. We don't know whether Dubas even wants to trade players with term, but in the cases of Hayes and Heinen he probably has no choice but to keep them. I doubt anyone wants either player.
Ned and MAYBE Acciari are the guys with term that contenders may have a passing interest in, but the return won't be much. If we can unload any of Grz, Ned, Acciari, Glass or Beauvillier, it will be a good move regardless of the return.