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Way-too-early Pittsburgh Penguins trade candidates in 2025-26 season

Originally posted on NHL on ClutchPoints
By Tristin McKinstry | Last updated Aug 19, 2025 12:50 AM ET

The Pittsburgh Penguins are open for business as the 2025 NHL offseason continues. Pittsburgh may legitimately be the only team in the league willing to sell. Every other team is either actively trying to contend or hesitant to tear things down to kick off a complete rebuild. Of course, Pittsburgh isn’t stripping this thing to the foundation. It’s hard to do that with stars like Erik Karlsson, Sidney Crosby, and Evgeni Malkin.

However, Pittsburgh is clearly in a transition phase. Karlsson, Crosby, and Malkin are all getting up there in age. Defenseman Kris Letang and forward Bryan Rust — other important members of this team — are also headed toward the end of their careers. While they remain high-level contributors, it’s clear the transition to the next generation will happen sooner rather than later.

As a result, Pittsburgh is going to seek opportunities to stock its prospect pipeline. And that can lead to the team trading some of their veteran players for draft capital. If other teams remain steadfast in not wanting to rebuild, the Penguins have a major opportunity to receive significant trade returns in the coming months.

All of the cards are falling into place for the Penguins. And it just so happens that the team has a good idea of who they could be putting on the market. Here are two way-too-early Penguins trade candidates for the 2025-26 season.

Erik Karlsson could have high trade value

Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson (65) warms up before a game against the Chicago Blackhawks at United Center. Talia Sprague-Imagn Images

Erik Karlsson is one of the best offensive defensemen of his generation. And he is an important part to this Penguins team. However, he is not an icon of the franchise like Letang, Malkin, and Crosby. As a result, he is much more expendable.

What also allows Pittsburgh to explore its options is his performance. Karlsson joined the Penguins in 2023 through trade from the San Jose Sharks. He came off a 101 point season in 2022-23 that saw him win the Norris Trophy. No one expected him to score 100+ points again. However, he definitely was expected to provide an offensive boost from the blueline.

He has held up his end of the bargain to some extent. Karlsson has scored 50+ points in each of his two seasons with the Penguins. However, his defense has been rather abysmal since his arrivial. And this is a concern for any team looking to trade for the Penguins star.

Karlsson is a free agent at the end of next season. Pittsburgh could certainly hold on to him through the end of this deal. In saying this, his offense should make him a potentially in-demand trade candidate around the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline. Even with his $10 million cap hit in play.

Rickard Rakell is an obvious Penguins trade candidate

Rickard Rakell has also only spent a few seasons in Pittsburgh. His first season with the Penguins certainly did not go as well as he had hoped. However, he found his stride again this past season. And he has rebuilt his value heading into the 2025-26 campaign.

Rakell led all Penguins skaters with 35 goals in 2025-26. Moreover, he finished second on the team with 71 points. Only Crosby had more points than Rakell in 2024-25. Both players were one of three 30-goal scorers, being joined by Bryan Rust in this category.

Like with Karlsson, Rakell is signed for multiple seasons. They do not need to make a rash decision at this time. However, once the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline arrives, his scoring touch should make him a very in-demand trade target.

This article first appeared on NHL on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.

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