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Rickard Rakell stabilizes Pittsburgh Penguins top six against elite matchups without Sidney Crosby
Photo credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images
Rickard Rakell has 12-17-29 for the Pittsburgh Penguins, and those numbers hit harder with Sidney Crosby out and Evgeni Malkin suspended.
Tuesday's 5-4 shootout loss in Carolina sharpened the point. Pittsburgh pushed a contender to the edge while missing its top driver and another top-six center.
Rakell is not just filling ice. He has taken tougher center-duty stretches and harder matchup work than most wingers on this roster were built for.
That matters because his game is simple and useful. He gets inside, supports low, and still arrives as a shooting threat instead of playing cute.
His contract matters too. Rakell carries a $5 million cap hit through 2027-28, and right now that looks more like value than trade bait.
The easy read is that he benefits from stars. The harder read, and the smarter one, is that he has kept the structure from falling apart when the stars left the board.
He even slid back into the middle after years on the wing. The faceoff numbers were rough, but the willingness said plenty about where Pittsburgh is thin.
Rickard Rakell is saving Pittsburgh time
Pens fans know this feeling, frustration mixed with respect, because Rakell is doing thankless work that usually gets applauded only after a losing streak.
He is 32, a 2011 first-round pick by the Anaheim Ducks, and this is the kind of veteran stretch that helps a room survive a bad week.
The deadline chatter never fully disappears around a scorer on a fair contract. But moving him this summer would rip out one of the few wingers who can handle top-six pace and still defend honestly.
That is the fit piece. He can ride with skill, play off the forecheck, and help the blue line with cleaner exits because he stays available underneath pucks.
It also matters for Thursday. Pittsburgh's next stop is Vegas, and Rakell's line will likely see another heavy diet of hard minutes if Crosby still is not cleared.
This is why he deserves more than a passing nod. He is not replacing Sidney Crosby, but he is keeping the Penguins from unraveling while they wait.
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| POLL | ||
MARS 11|102 ANSWERS Rickard Rakell stabilizes Pittsburgh Penguins top six against elite matchups without Sidney Crosby Has Rickard Rakell become too important for the Pittsburgh Penguins to move? | ||
| Yes | 67 | 65.7 % |
| No | 35 | 34.3 % |
| List of polls | ||