In some ways, it’s quite surprising that Richard Rakell is still a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Quite often in the last couple of seasons, Rakell has been involved in trade rumors. Two years ago, he was a prominent name before the deadline, seeming certain to be dealt but in the end not moving after all.
Last year’s Rakell trade whispers were quieter, but they were still there.
That brings us to now, with the Penguins continuing to age and having to figure out what their future looks like.
The odd part about Pittsburgh’s aging roster is that they won’t trade their oldest guys — Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang aren’t going anywhere.
That means if they want to start turning experience into youth, it has to start at the next layer on the board — in this case, guys like Rakell.
Richard Rakell Trade Update
The Athletic’s Chris Johnston included Rakell on a new trade board, suggesting that the NHL insider thinks Rakell is in line to be traded at some point this season.
Rakell may have been the most surprising of the 10 players on the list just because unlike most of them (like Connor Hellebuyck and Dylan Larkin), Rakell hasn’t been in the recent trade rumor headlines.
But evidently that doesn’t mean he won’t be traded. It just means it’s been a bit quiet as far as noise out of Pittsburgh.
“No stranger to the Big Board in the past year or two, Rakell’s time may finally be winding down with a Penguins team slowly transitioning to a younger group,” Johnston writes.
The Penguins likely won’t rush to trade Rakell. If they’re heavily in contention by the middle of the season, maybe they keep him and see how far their experience can take them.
But if Pittsburgh isn’t in optimal position, this might finally be Rakell’s year.
Will Someone Trade for Richard Rakell?
Just like the last few years, Rakell remains a desirable trade asset.
“While he’s delivered an outsized amount of production on a reasonable contract, it’s been a slow start to the year for both player and team,” Johnston writes. “Still, Rakell is an above-average finisher who has a history of holding his own when playing alongside highly skilled linemates. He’s scored at a 29-goal-per-82-game pace across the last four seasons.”
Rakell is 33 now, and he’ll have one more year of club control on his contract after this one. That could be perfect for a contending team, essentially two shots to win with Rakell but then an easy out if his age catches up to him.
Johnston didn’t float any specific team landing spots, but there will surely be a few possibilities.
Penguins’ Richard Rakell Trade May Finally Be Coming