Penguins Could Strike Gold with Former First-Round Trade Target

Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas is overseeing a slow-moving rebuilding process in which he's not only trying to keep an eye on the future but also trying to maximize the time left in the careers of franchise icons Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang.

The Penguins could take advantage of a difficult situation involving the Minnesota Wild, who appear to be ready to move on from pending RFA forward Marco Rossi.

Rossi, who had a career-best 60 points (24G, 36A), saw his ice time dramatically reduced in the postseason, a 5 game series loss to the Vegas Golden Knights. His ice time reduction was all the more puzzling considering he was the 2nd-leading scorer on the team while playing top-6 minutes.

Rossi also rejected a 5 year, $25 million deal earlier in the year from GM Bill Guerin, further fueling speculation that his days with the club could be numbered.

When asked if he could foresee trading Rossi at next month's NHL Draft, Guerin didn't shut down the possibility.

At only 23 years of age, Rossi is just getting started in his NHL career and has already shown that he's capable of producing.

The Penguins, who need help down the middle (especially with the likely retirement of Malkin after 2025-26), would be wise to look into acquiring Rossi from the Wild and signing him to a new deal.