Canucks Explore Mock Trade for Rickard Rakell to Bolster Top Six

Last season, Rickard Rakell thrived on a struggling Penguins team, with the veteran forward posting a career high of 35 goals and 70 points for a team that missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs for a third straight season.

Coming into the off-season however, the overwhelming expectation was that he would be traded by the team as they look to get younger, with plenty of reported interest in him around the league.

The Vancouver Canucks are one of those teams that have come up in trade talks, and after re-signing Brock Boeser and adding Evander Kane via trade, the addition of Rakell would give them an elite group of wingers heading into the 2025/26 campaign.

Now, The Score have put together a trade package that would send Rakell to the Canucks, with the Penguins landing two prospects and a highly coveted first-round pick in the process.

On paper, this is a deal that benefits both teams, with the Canucks getting a veteran forward to help them right now while the Penguins get a first-round pick in 2026, another asset for Kyle Dubas' future as well as two intriguing prospects.

The biggest name in the deal for Pittsburgh is Nils Hoglander, a 24-year old that has high upside in the NHL, and if not for the logjam up front in Vancouver, he likely would have already had much more success in the league.

Ultimately, it's unclear if this deal is even realistic for either side, but if this were the one to get done, it's safe to say that it could end up being a win-win trade for both parties.