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3 Western Conference Teams Emerge as Top Trade Fits for Penguins' Rickard Rakell
Pittsburgh Penguins' Rickard Rakell is a hot commodity, and three teams, the Kings, Kraken, and Sharks, are all seen as the top fits for his services via a trade.
The Pittsburgh Penguins are in rebuilding mode, and several veteran players could be dealt to help build for the future.
While Erik Karlsson and Bryan Rust are two players who have been floated, Rickard Rakell is the most coveted trade chip behind Sidney Crosby.
Rickard Rakell just had a 70-point season and makes only $5 million
Rickard Rakell, off a 35-goal, 70-point season, carries a $5 million cap hit for the next three years. Potential suitors include the Los Angeles Kings, Seattle Kraken, and San Jose Sharks, and these teams could sure use his offense, Dan Kingerski reports.
The Kings require scoring following a disappointing offseason and could use Rakell to jumpstart their offense and extend their competitive window as Anze Kopitar heads toward retirement.
Not necessarily the savior, Rakell can potentially salvage a roster that's underperformed.
The Kraken, meanwhile, are being gritty this summer. Tied to names like Jordan Kyrou, they look ready to go big again.
With a healthy amount of cap space and assets deep throughout the board, Rakell could be the offensive boost they'll require to be playoff contenders again.
In San Jose, the Sharks are stacked in cap space and thin up front even after an aggressive offseason.
With Will Smith expecting to take on a major role, adding Rakell would give the young center a consistent scoring winger and shore up a struggling power play.
With three years of team control and a ton of trade assets on the horizon, the Sharks are a natural match.
For the Penguins, trading Rakell would be an important part of their acceleration of the retooling process.
| POLL | ||
JUILLET 18 | 70 ANSWERS 3 Western Conference Teams Emerge as Top Trade Fits for Penguins' Rickard Rakell Will Rickard Rakell end up being traded to one of these three teams? | ||
| Yes | 46 | 65.7 % |
| No | 24 | 34.3 % |
| List of polls | ||