Surprise Names Join Penguins Core

After a few weeks of showing life, the Pittsburgh Penguins have slid back down the standings in the Metropolitan Division and the Eastern Conference. The team is in 14th place out of 16 teams in the East and five points back of a wild card spot.

With the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline approaching and the Penguins unable to make up ground, they are set to be sellers at this year's deadline. They have multiple names that will attract attention, including veteran defenders Erik Karlsson and Kris Letang and winger Rickard Rakell.

Perhaps even more interesting is the players the Pens aren't willing to deal. According to a recent article from RG.org, the team's core is expanding to include a surprising pair of young players. NHL writer Marco D'Amico shared information he gained from a source within the league that in addition to the team's top three forwards of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Bryan Rust, youngsters Philip Tomasino and Owen Pickering are also not available for trade.

"An NHL source close to the situation has confirmed to RG that everyone on the current roster - except captain Sidney Crosby, longtime alternate captain Evgeni Malkin, veteran forward Ryan Rust, forward Philip Tomasino, and defenseman Owen Pickering - is available for the right price before the March 7 NHL Trade Deadline," he wrote.

The inclusion of Tomasino and Pickering is a surprise to read, but makes sense given their performance this season. Since the Penguins acquired Tomasino from the Nashville Predators, the 23-year-old forward has found his game. Over 20 games, he has five goals and four assists for nine points. Three of his tallies have been the game-winning goals for his new team.

Similarly, Pickering is having an excellent first taste in the NHL. The 20-year-old has dressed for 23 games with the Penguins in his first full professional season, scoring one goal and adding an assist. He's taking his lumps as a rookie in the league, but for such a young player he's performing well and developing exactly as the organization had hoped. Because of that, he's becoming a critical piece of the future puzzle in Pittsburgh.