Rumor: Cup Contender could trade former first round pick for playoff boost.

It looks like the defending Stanley Cup Champions are gearing up for another strong playoff run, and they may be willing to deal one of their former first round picks to maximize their chances of going deep.

While the Pittsburgh Penguins will certainly not be sellers at the trade deadline, they do have a valuable trading chip in their system that some believe they could dangle in order to bring in an immediate upgrade to their roster.

From The Score's Ian McLaren:

The defending Cup champions won't look to move pieces from a roster able to repeat, but the Penguins could dangle defensive prospect Derrick Pouliot, who can't seem to crack the NHL roster.

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The former first round draft pick has never found a consistent spot on the Penguins roster and after 63 games in the National Hockey League it may be in the best interest of both sides to move on at this point. At just 23 years of age there's plenty of time for Pouliot to turn his career around with a new club, and the pedigree of being an 8th overall pick in 2012 could net the Penguins a decent return.