Penguins Insider Hints at Surprise Absences on Opening Night Roster

The Pittsburgh Penguins have been at the centre of much trade speculation this off-season, but beyond a few low level moves, General Manager Kyle Dubas has yet to make a big time splash following the third straight season in which this team missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Despite no moves being made, the Penguins are still expected to make some big changes before the 2025/26 campaign begins, with Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell the two pieces that make the most sense to trade, as they could land Dubas a very solid return.

Thus far though, there's been no significant talks with any team around the NHL on either play, but in his latest piece for The Athletic, Josh Yohe has noted that he'd be shocked if both were on the opening night roster next season.

Whether that means both will be moved or one or the other in Yohe's eyes, it's currently unclear, but given the fact that Pittsburgh need to keep building for the future, it would make sense for Dubas to aggressively shop them both in the near future.

One other interesting thing that Yohe noted is that Dubas isn't going to give either player away for nothing, so when either player gets traded, the return will be a solid one, and even despite the movement thus far, the expectation is still that a deal will get done for one or both this off-season.