With the NHL trade deadline coming up on March 8, the Pittsburgh Penguins are reportedly looking to move a goalie, according to NHL legend Chris Chelios on his ‘Six Degrees of Chris Chelios’ podcast:
Said Chelios on the Penguins’ wishes, “Someone actually called me on Sunday morning and told me there’s been some talk around Pittsburgh that the Penguins are going to trade a goalie. Now initially my assumption was (Alex) Nedeljkovic. He’s making one five, he’s a UFA after this year. I know he had a really rough night in that game last week that they lost on Thursday night, the one in overtime against the Islanders but generally he’s been very good, and I can see some teams who need a 1b who could really use him. But somebody said that this is not limited to Nedeljkovic, that I think teams have asked about (Tristan) Jarry, teams have asked about ( Joel) Blomqvist, who’s their top prospect, who has played very well in Wilkes-Barre this year.”
The Penguins have already been active before the deadline, having acquired Emil Benstrom from the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for forward Alex Nylander, as well as a conditional sixth-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft.
“What I do know is that he’s a talented player,” Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan said after the deal, “He’s scored 10-plus goals in the League a couple years when he was in Columbus [once, as a rookie in 2019-20]. Beyond that, I don’t have a real good grasp of his overall game. I know Dubas and the hockey ops guys do, and they think he’s a guy that can help us.”
While Nylander has been buried in the American Hockey League, appearing in 43 games with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in 2023-24, Benstrom should slot into the Penguins’ middle-six right away.
The Penguins have been widely rumored to be sellers at the deadline.
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