Penguins, Maple Leafs could be trade partners for forward

Pittsburgh Penguins right wing Rickard Rakell. Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Penguins, Maple Leafs could be trade partners in deal for $15M forward

Originally posted on NHL Trade Talk | Last updated Jul 14, 2025 8:11 AM ET

The Toronto Maple Leafs continue to search for a top-six forward, and according to one source, the Pittsburgh Penguins may be the perfect trade partner.

With Mitch Marner’s departure leaving a major offensive hole, Toronto has been loosely linked to several players, including Nazem Kadri, Erik Karlsson and Dougie Hamilton. A reunion appears unlikely with Kadri given his value to the Calgary Flames, and cap constrictions make adding either one of those two defensemen challenging.

Instead, Sportsnet’s Sonny Sachdeva pointed to Penguins wingers Rickard Rakell and Bryan Rust as intriguing options.

Why Rakell or Rust for the Maple Leafs?

There’s a lot to like when it comes to Rakell or Rust joining the Maple Leafs. Both players are coming off career seasons: Rakell scored 35 goals (and 70 points), while Rust posted a career-high 65 points, with 31 goals. Each has three years remaining on their contracts, with Rakell carrying a $5M cap hit and Rust slightly higher at $5.125M.

The Leafs have $5.33M in cap space, but could create more flexibility by moving Calle Jarnkrok and David Kampf, whose combined cap hits total $4.5M. Both players would immediately improve the Leafs’ top six, and the Leafs might have the assets to intrigue Kyle Dubas to make a deal with his former team.

Dubas — who has no urgency to move either forward this summer — would likely want a high pick or top prospect if taking on Toronto’s depth contracts. The conversations likely start with Easton Cowan, and it might be more. Dubas is in the driver’s seat here. He knows his team won’t be very good and he can get value out of either player until the NHL trade deadline.

The one thing he has to contend with is Rakell’s partial no-trade clause.

With GM Brad Treliving under growing pressure to add scoring, a deal involving Rust or Rakell may represent the most straightforward path. Both would slot comfortably alongside Auston Matthews or John Tavares, and Dubas knows it. He may understand better than anyone how much sending one of his two best wingers to Toronto would help them.

Whether Dubas and Treliving can find common ground remains to be seen, but with few high-end forwards left in free agency, the Penguins and Leafs could be poised to strike a deal.

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

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