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Insider Believes Penguins Trade Rickard Rakell, Bryan Rust Before NHL Opener

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Matt Levine | Last updated Aug 9, 2025 4:32 PM ET

As the NHL offseason starts to wind down, the Pittsburgh Penguins remain one of the more fascinating teams across the league. The Penguins have been rumored to be discussing different trade deals for some of their veteran players.

Forwards Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell have been on the trade block this summer, and there have been a few teams interested in landing the stars. However, nothing has come about just yet, with the Penguins setting a high asking price.

Many teams around the league have wondered if Pittsburgh will make a move before the offseason ends. NHL insider Josh Yohe provided some answers to this, reporting that they don't believe both players will be with Pittsburgh when they open the new year.

Josh Yohe: Re Rust and Rakell: Are they even on this team when Oct 7 rolls around? I'm not so sure they will be; I think there's a real chance at least one of them is gone before then - Athletic Hockey Show (8/6)
— NHL Rumour Report (@NHLRumourReport) August 9, 2025

If the Penguins do trade either Rust or Rakell, they could net some strong future assets for the organization. With Pittsburgh clearly in a rebuild mode, moving on from one or both of the veterans seems like the smart move.

But Penguins' general manager Kyle Dubas won't just move the players for scraps. Dubas will want real talent or draft assets in return since both players are still so effective on the ice.

Last season, Rust scored 31 goals and put up 74 assists over 74 games played. In comparison, Rakell posted 35 goals and 35 assists over 81 games.

Each player still has the ability to be a real game-changer for whatever team they are playing on, and Pittsburgh understands this. It remains to be seen if the Penguins will pull the trigger on a deal before the year starts, and this could linger into the regular season.

However, it does seem that a trade will be coming down the line, even if teams have to wait until the deadline next year. Pittsburgh wants to get younger, and moving these players is a clear pathway to make that idea happen.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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