Five Buffalo Sabres First Round Picks Linked to Pittsburgh in Possible Blockbuster Trade

Rickard Rakell has been a name that many expect the Pittsburgh Penguins to move this off-season, with Kyle Dubas reportedly demanding a haul in return for the veteran after a career year in 2024/25.

That career year saw Rakell tally 35 goals and 70 points on a team that struggled significantly, and thus far, there's been very little interest in a trade for Rakell around the league, with very few big moves being made at all in the NHL this off-season.

Now however, the Buffalo Sabres are emerging as a genuine candidate to land Rakell, with Michael Augello of The Hockey News noting that the team could be willing to part ways with young assets or picks to make it happen.

In his latest report, Augello notes that Zach Benson, Jack Quinn, Isak Rosen and Noah Ostlund are all players that could be involved in a deal, or even an unprotected pick in an upcoming draft.

Obviously, Rakell is not enough to warrant the return of the majority of these assets, but given that the Penguins are looking to land young talent for the future, the ability to acquire one or two of Benson, Quinn, Rosen or Ostlund would be a huge win for General Manager Kyle Dubas.

Thus far, there hasn't been much interest in Rakell, so that may hamper the Penguins as they look to up the price on the 32-year old forward, but with Buffalo wanting to add a win-now piece to their top-six, this puts Kyle Dubas in a great spot to land a top prospect or two.