Blockbuster trade rumors involving some of the Penguins top stars.

Huge changes coming to Pittsburgh.

HockeyFeed
HockeyFeed
Published 4 years ago
Blockbuster trade rumors involving some of the Penguins top stars.
Peter Joneleit/CSM/Zuma

"The Pittsburgh Penguins were unable to reach their usually high standards of play in the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs and now it sounds like there are going to be some wholesale changes made to the organization from a player personnel perspective. 

As Penguins fans will know, Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford has never been shy to pull the trigger on some major trade deals but the kind of changes we are talking about now could drastically change the face of the Penguins franchise that fans have come to know and love for years and years. On his most recent 31 Thoughts Podcast Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman revealed that big time names on the Penguins roster could be traded this summer, even core players the likes of Kris Letang and Evgeni Malkin.

"First of all let me say to every fan that is listening to this, I understand your skepticism..." began Friedman on his most recent episode. "There is something to this, the Penguins are contemplating some serious changes. I think Phil Kessel gets traded regardless and I think they will field offers for Letang, although I am not convince that he is getting traded. I think of all the guys they could trade Letang might be the one with the most value, cause he's a defenseman and he's good and he's under contract at a number that is pretty reasonable."

It seems however that there may be some reluctance on the part of the Penguins GM to move Letang out of town however.

"I also know that Rutherford loves Letang and he's apparently told people that Letang is taking way to much blame for what happened in the first round."

That being said the Malkin talk is not going away and it sounds like Friedman has it on good authority from a very good source that this rumor is very much legitimate. 

"Now Malkin. I did get a call last night from somebody that has heard the rumors and he thinks they are not media make up, he thinks they are legit. Malkin did not have a great year, he was not up to Malkin standards, and he's wondering if Pittsburgh is maybe trying to rattle his cage a bit. Just to say 'You know Evgeni, last year was not you, we want you to be you, and maybe this is a way of doing it.'"

Malkin himself could block the trade and make this a moot point, but it sounds like the man himself may believe that this may be the appropriate time for a change of scenery.

"Malkin has a no move clause and the word is he is at least thinking about would he agree. So we're probably days and weeks away from finding out what Malkin thinks."

As for who could end up landing him? Well Friedman would go on to mention two of the teams by name.

"There are teams out there, I believe the Rangers are one and I wouldn't be surprised if Florida is another, that are waiting to find out... are we gonna be in on this."

A trade like this is one that would require another general manager as bold as Rutherford on the other end of the deal and one who has similar talent and value to trade back the other way. One such suggested was made during the podcast when Friedman was later asked by his co-host about the possibility of a player for player trade with the Nashville Predators, one that would see P.K. Subban done a Pittsburgh Penguins jersey. Friedman simply responded with the following:

"All of that makes sense to me."

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