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Penguins Could be Eyeing Two Wingers, Including Former First Overall Pick
A potential trade between the Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Rangers could be brewing this offseason.
The Pittsburgh Penguins and the New York Rangers are in a very similar situation right now.
Both teams are coming off disappointing seasons as expectations were not met.
The Rangers were certainly expecting to be a lot better than Pittsburgh, but Kyle Dubas is likely feeling the same pressure as he continues to chase another playoff appearance for Sidney Crosby.
Regardless, it is the Rangers who have made the first major move of the offseason as they fired head coach Peter Laviolette.
Notably, the Rangers are reportedly interested in Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan to fill the vacancy.
But while the Rangers may have interest in the Penguins coach, the Penguins could very well be eying a prominent roster player from the Rangers.
PensLabyrinth reporter Zane Bloom argues that former first overall pick Alexis Lafrenière would be a great fit for the Penguins as a reclamation project.
"What if a change of scenery is what Lafreniere needs to unlock his first overall pick potential? His stock has never been lower, and the Penguins could leverage that into getting New York to eat some of his albatross contract."
For the Rangers, it would be on brand for them to trade Lafreniere as the other prominent young players the team has developed recently have already been shown the door.
It could also make sense from a business perspective as Lafreniere signed a seven-year extension with the club that carries a AAV of just under 7.5 million dollars a season, which is certainly looking like a lot for the level of production he has provided so far in his career.
Another current Ranger that could very well be traded this summer is Chris Kreider.
Like Lafreniere, this is a buy-low opportunity for Kyle Dubas as Kreider just had one of the worst years of his career, putting up just 22 goals and 8 assists for 30 points in 68 games played.
Kreider has two years left on his contract that carries a 6.5 million dollar cap hit.
| POLL | ||
AVRIL 21 | 212 ANSWERS Penguins Could be Eyeing Two Wingers, Including Former First Overall Pick Do you think it would make sense for the New York Rangers and Pittsburgh Penguins to make a trade this offseason? | ||
| Yes | 101 | 47.6 % |
| No | 49 | 23.1 % |
| Unsure | 43 | 20.3 % |
| No opinion | 19 | 9 % |
| List of polls | ||