Rumor: Penguins and Habs may be preparing conference-changing trade

The most prevalent name on the trade market right now is that of Kris Letang. The long-time Pittsburgh Penguins' star defenseman has reportedly been talked about amongst National Hockey League general managers as of late - with the news revealed by Sportsnet's Nick Kypreos and Elliotte Friedman.

Matt Gajtka of DK Pittsburgh Sports also confirmed the news, stating that "I’ve been told by an industry source that Letang is 'definitely' available for interested teams to pursue."

Now - in an interesting turn of events, it was revealed by Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Jason Mackey that Letang and his camp were not informed of such trade discussions, putting a bit of a question mark on the validity of these trade talks.

Regardless of that - three credible sources, including one of the most reliable in the entire business, confirmed that these trade discussions are indeed happening. 

The most reliable of the bunch, Friedman, believes that there is a fit between Pittsburgh and the Montreal Canadiens during a radio segment on Sportsnet 960.

Friedman connected the dots between two star players that are currently struggling on their respective teams, and that have been reportedly talked about in trade discussions. While Jim Rutherford is ideally looking for a legitimate third line centre, a top flight scoring winger is also a huge need, as Sidney Crosby has had to deal with a rotating cast of replaceable wingers all season.

Pacioretty is struggling this season - but a fresh start on Crosby's wing could easily jumpstart the league's 5th best goal scorer since 2011.

On the other side, Marc Bergevin desperately needs a high end puck moving defenseman, and the fact that Letang hails from Montreal, Quebec makes him all the more enticing. The problem lies in the fact that he has 4 more years at over $7 million - and with his struggling play, acquiring him would be a very risky proposition. 

Pacioretty has another year at just north of $4 million - one of the friendliest contracts in the entire NHL. He'll be due for a hefty raise in 2019-20, which is what makes him potentially expendable, as Bergevin considers the team's long term plan. 

Will the Penguins and Canadiens swap their struggling star players? Stay tuned.