Kessel back on the trade block following embarrassing loss?!

We all know Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford doesn't really seem to hesitate when making significant trades to improve his roster, however, for the first time in many years, his team is having issues keeping its head above the water.  After finally being able to capture a possible seven of their last eight points, the Penguins were ousted 6-3 by the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday in quite the embarrassing loss. And when that happens, it does not take much time for trade chatter to pick up once again. 

Earlier this month, NHL insider ElliotteFriedman of Sportsnet reported that Rutherford had “tested the market” for star forward Phil Kessel before trading Carl Hagelin to the Los Angeles Kings in return for Tanner Pearson. 

According to multiple sources, Pittsburgh “tested the market” on Phil Kessel. This one is tricky, because the Penguins appear to have decided to hold off on anything involving him for the time being, but that doesn’t mean it can’t or won’t be revisited. Three weeks ago, the Penguins were last in the Eastern Conference. Tuesday’s win over Colorado put them within two points of the playoffs, and who is betting against them? GM Jim Rutherford’s been searching for ways to upgrade the roster. He’s made two moves — Carl Hagelin to Los Angeles for Tanner Pearson, Daniel Sprong to Anaheim for Marcus Pettersson — but is eyeing more. The Penguins don’t have a ton to trade without seriously altering the team. Kessel has some control of the process with partial no-trade protection. Toronto still pays $1.2 million of his $8-million salary. The winger has 10 goals and 29 points in 26 games, so the production is still there. We’ll see where it goes.

Clearly with more changes needed in Pittsburgh at almost the halfway point of the 2018-19 season, Joey Alfieri of NBC Sports wonders if Kessel could be one veteran on the move this season. Here is how he (carefully) pitches it: 

"Alright, it would be surprising to see this happen, but there’s been enough chatter about it that it’s impossible to ignore. GM Jim Rutherford isn’t shy about making moves. His team is currently out of a playoff spot and they’re coming off an embarrassing loss to the Chicago Blackhawks. Kessel still has three years left on his current deal, but he only accounts for $6.8 million because the Toronto Maple Leafs are retaining some of his salary."

We could see more veteran players on the move ahead of the trade deadline this season, however, it remains to be seen if Kessel will be one of them. It has always been said that captain Sidney Crosby and Russian sniper Evgeni Malkin are the only untouchables in Pittsburgh, however, the offensive threat is hard to imagine without Kessel around as well...