The Pittsburgh Penguins aren’t exactly lighting the hockey world on fire to begin the 2024-25 season.
They sit one spot from the basement in the Metropolitan Division at 5-7-2, and although there is a lot of season left for them to turn things around – and only six points separate them and the first-place Carolina Hurricanes – they have an excess of players and a lot of youth waiting in the wings.
Some of the bigger pending unrestricted free agents, such as forward Lars Eller and defenseman Marcus Pettersson, may be worth keeping around until at least the trade deadline because of their high level of value to the NHL roster.
However, there are some other players who – although valuable to the Penguins – may be a bit more expendable and could still fetch a decent return. And they can also help free up some space on the roster for other players to get their shot.
Noel Acciari
© Stephen R. Sylvanie – USA TODAY Sports
The Penguins went into the 2024-25 regular season with a surplus of forwards, causing a bit of a logjam on the roster. In fact, the Penguins will have one too many forwards once both Matt Nieto and Bryan Rust are activated from injured reserve.
So, looking at some of the Penguins’ options, Acciari’s strong start to season warrants a spot on this list.
Make no mistake: Acciari is an important player for the Penguins. Head coach Mike Sullivan has stressed the Acciari does a lot of the “thankless” jobs by blocking a ton of shots, delivering and taking hits to make plays, playing on the penalty kill, and clogging up passing lanes in the defensive zone. He also has four points on the young season, putting him on pace for 24 points, which would be the second-highest total of his career.
He is the type of depth player any contending team wants on its roster during the playoffs, and deployed with the right players, he is capable of producing at a decent rate for a fourth-line player.
Look for teams such as the Boston Bruins, Tampa Bay Lightning, Dallas Stars, and Calgary Flames, who will want to shore up their bottom-six depth and could use a reliable veteran like Acciari in the mix.
Drew O’Connor
© Charles LeClaire – Imagn Images
One of the pending unrestricted free agents that, sometimes, gets lost in the shuffle is O’Connor. After a promising closeout to the 2023-24 season that saw him record six goals and eight points in his last 12 games and finish the season at a plus-14, he has just three goals and four points through the first 14 this season and is a team-worst minus-10.
The numbers aren’t necessarily bad for O’Connor, but, in the grand scheme of things, he hasn’t consistently been one of the better players in the Penguins’ lineup this season. Given his pending UFA status, it’s conceivable that Pittsburgh would be able to acquire a mid-round asset from a team for the 26-year-old’s services.
However, there might be an opportunity to swap out O’Connor and a player on a different team in a similar situation and needing a change of scenery. Some names that might stick out here are Los Angeles Kings forward Arthur Kaliyev (who is currently on injured reserve), Toronto Maple Leafs forward Nicholas Robertson, and perhaps even Chicago Blackhawks forward Philipp Kurashev – although his cap hit of $2.25 million poses a bit of a challenge.
And, if not O’Connor, someone like Jesse Puljujarvi can also apply in a similar fashion.
Alex Nedeljkovic
© James Carey Lauder – Imagn Images
A little surprising? Maybe. But when you stop to think about it for a few seconds, it might make some degree of sense, depending on the situation.
Let’s be clear: The Penguins being able to trade Tristan Jarry is, certainly, the more desirable outcome from a contract standpoint. But Jarry’s tradeability is almost completely dependent on him going on a hot streak upon return from his AHL conditioning stint, which would also lead to the assumption that the Penguins are playing pretty good hockey simultaneously.
Rookie Joel Blomqvist appears destined to be assigned to the AHL when Jarry returns, but he’s clearly NHL-ready and, arguably, better than both Nedeljkovic and Jarry. If the Penguins are smart – and truly looking ahead – they want him on the NHL roster.
With these things in mind, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Nedeljkovic shipped out relatively soon. Simply put, he is more tradeable than Jarry, even if Jarry finds his game.
It’s definitely a realistic possibility that the Penguins will try to trade one of their NHL goaltenders to a team in need, and if Nedeljkovic is the one to go, teams like Colorado, Tampa Bay, and Detroit may be interested. Utah could also be a contender for either goaltender, since the tandem of Connor Ingram and Karel Vejmelka has struggled to start the season.
