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Penguins Forward Trade Price Skyrockets as Kyle Dubas in No Rush to Make a Deal
Rickard Rakell is a hot commodity for teams looking to be buyers, but Penguins GM Kyle Dubas is in no rush to trade him, further increasing his value.
The Pittsburgh Penguins left no question Tuesday at Ball Arena that they will be eager sellers in the days leading up to the NHL trade deadline.
Even with patches of good play, the results are the same. Casey Mittelstadt's power-play goal with 4:09 left in the third period broke a tie and resulted in a 4-1 victory for Colorado. Rickard Rakell scored the lone goal for Pittsburgh.
Rakell, one of the most vocal in the Penguins' locker room, is well aware of the rampant trade rumors. All the chatter didn't take away from his play, as he was a force to be reckoned with throughout the game.
Rakell loves Pittsburgh and Dubas may decide to hang onto him
This week is far from a cakewalk for Rakell, who was acquired by Pittsburgh in the 2022 deadline. His contract has a reworked no-trade clause, but moving on is not precluded.
"Yeah, it absolutely is on my mind," Rakell said. "It's not a fun time. It's not in my control. You hear everyone else say it, and I'm the same way. I'm doing my best not to think about it, not to let it affect me. But it's hard. It's always somewhere in your mind."
With a career campaign in progress, he is one of the most coveted players available, and Kyle Dubas is in absolutely no rush to move him, further increasing his worth.
"I'll tell you this much," Rakell said. "I really like it here. I like Pittsburgh. I like the guys in this room. Great guys. I don't want to go anywhere. I'm very happy here."
A number of Penguins can be traded by Friday. Some transactions will occur that day, but the team's game that evening in Vegas does not provide much time for a flurry of last-minute trades. Instead, the best time for deals to get done is today and Thursday.
Everything points to several deals being made over the next couple of days, by the Penguins, as well as other NHL organizations.
| POLL | ||
MARS 5 | 283 ANSWERS Penguins Forward Trade Price Skyrockets as Kyle Dubas in No Rush to Make a Deal Will Rickard Rakell be traded by Friday? | ||
| Yes | 77 | 27.2 % |
| No | 206 | 72.8 % |
| List of polls | ||