Pens are “very much open for business”

We don't know if the upcoming Black Friday event is having an impact of some general managers across the National Hockey League, however, Pittsburgh Penguins GM Jim Rutherford is ready for a flash sale and is reportedly open for business. 

According to NHL Insider Bob McKenzie, the latest addition of Tanner Pearson, from a trade that sent forward Carl Hagelin to the Los Angeles Kings, has not had the desired impact on the roster, and now every player could be placed on the trade block. Except for the usual untouchables, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. 

"The Penguins are very much open for business. Last week, of course, he made the one-for-one trade - Carl Hagelin for Tanner Pearson. I don’t think by any longshot that Rutherford feels like that he’s finished. He wants to see how his team performs since making the trade, but just about anything and everything is on the table. I think it’s very safe to speculate that the list of untouchable players on the Pittsburgh Penguins roster starts and ends with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. And that would be about it. So open for business, but those big deals are hard to make. But, open for business nonetheless."

In the meantime, Mark Madden of the Tribune Live believes there’s no quick fix for the Penguins’ current woes and seems to be putting most of the blame on the shoulders of star goalie Matt Murray and the last of production and energy from the bottom-six forwards. Madden believes Rutherford will need to be careful to make the right moves and not attempt to over fix the issues with crazy trades. 

While Crosby and Malkin are the automatic untouchables, it does not mean that star players like Phil Kessel and Kris Letang are hitting the trade block. However, Rutherford might be more willing now to entertain trade offers on them especially if he can get immediate help. Daniel Sprong, Olli Maatta, Bryan Rust, and Riley Sheahan have been surfacing in recent trade speculation and are more likely to be on their way out of Pittsburgh. 

Is Rutherford going for a blockbuster move or again, will he tweak the roster here and there? What would you prefer to see happening in Pittsburgh?