Trade offer on the table in Pittsburgh from a Metropolitan Division rival

Trade talk got hot in Pittsburgh, but was quickly shut down by Penguins general manager Ron Hextall it seems… Dave Molinari of Pittsburgh Hockey Now reports a league source claims the Penguins got a trade offer for forward Jason Zucker during the offseason. The move would’ve allowed them to shed his $5.5 million average annual value from their salary-cap payroll for the coming season. It is believed that the offer came from Metropolitan Division rival, but it seems like it would’ve involved packaging Zucker with a first-round draft pick for “well, basically nothing” in return. Probably something similar to the trade that Sean Monahan and a first-round pick from the Calgary Flames to the Montreal Canadiens last month.

It is believed that Penguins general manager Ron Hextall rejected the offer because he didn’t want to part with a first-rounder. While Molinari indicates Hextall declined to respond to a request to confirm or dispute the information, it is also said that the GM might not have been willing to give up on the oft-injured Zucker as a significant contributor.

A speculation from Sam Carchidi suggests that the Philadelphia Flyers could be the team that had the interest in Zucker.

Many people are wondering when the offer for Zucker might have been made. It could have taken place leading up to the opening round of the 2022 NHL Draft in July when the Penguins would’ve been looking to shed salary after re-signing Kris Letang and Evgeni Malkin.

It remains to be seen what takes place now with Zucker ahead of the 2022-23 season.