{"id":1000474,"date":"2026-08-14T15:11:14","date_gmt":"2026-08-14T15:11:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/1000474\/"},"modified":"2026-08-14T15:11:14","modified_gmt":"2026-08-14T15:11:14","slug":"senators-rejected-penguins-trade-the-likely-offer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/1000474\/","title":{"rendered":"Senators Rejected Penguins Trade; the Likely Offer"},"content":{"rendered":"

Pittsburgh Penguin<\/a>s general manager Kyle Dubas<\/a> was visibly worn out, if not just a little bit disappointed, following the first round of the NHL Draft on June 26. The NHL trade rumors swirled, but the Penguins came away empty.<\/p>\n

No Jason Robertson, no trade up in the draft. The Penguins made the best of the fruitless trade and came away with prospect Liam Ruck, who scored 45 goals in 68 games for the Medicine Hat Tigers (and his twin brother Markus the following day in the second round), but Dubas had much bigger intentions that night. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe worked our asses off,\u201d Dubas said that night of the Penguins\u2019 trade<\/a> efforts to accelerate their rebuild.<\/p>\n

However, the Ottawa Senators have been releasing clips and video of their war room from draft night, and a few nuggets have emerged. The full episode\u2014Season 7, episode 1\u2014of their behind-the-scenes show, Breakaway<\/a>, released on their YouTube channel Wednesday, showed a couple of teams making pitches for the 25th overall pick. <\/p>\n

Of course, Ottawa obtained that pick by trading away Brady Tkachuk to the Florida Panthers in the stunning summer blockbuster.<\/p>\n

The Vancouver Canucks tried to entice Ottawa by offering the 33rd and 41st overall picks in exchange for the 25th and 72nd overall picks. Ottawa GM Steve Staois rejected that offer. However, Dubas tempted him. <\/p>\n

\u201cNo pick offers are good enough just yet, but Pittsburgh is interesting with the roster player,\u201d Staios said on video. <\/p>\n

\n

Ottawa Senators GM Steve Staios says the Penguins made an offer for what appears to have been the 25th overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft:<\/p>\n

\u201cNo pick offers are good enough just yet, but Pittsburgh’s interesting with the roster player.\u201d pic.twitter.com\/nITr1CryDp<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Pens System (@PensSystem) August 12, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

There it was\u2014the Penguins\u2019 last gasp to make a deal before the conclusion of the first round. Ultimately, Ottawa kept the pick and selected Swedish right-winger Jonas Lagerberg Hoen. <\/p>\n

Penguins Trade Piece?<\/p>\n

So, who was the player the Penguins offered? It\u2019s pure speculation at this point, but PHN has a good guess. <\/p>\n

The context clues do not point to Erik Karlsson. Something so extraordinary wouldn\u2019t merely elicit one line: \u201ca roster player.\u201d Further, Dubas couldn\u2019t simply offer up Karlsson during the draft without Karlsson\u2019s permission. <\/p>\n

Trading Karlsson would involve more work, more conversations, and our hunch is that such an offer would have drawn more reaction and conversation from Ottawa. <\/p>\n

So, Karlsson is out. <\/p>\n

While Bryan Rust might be suggested by some, the Penguins have resisted trading Rust because they view him as an essential locker room piece for the rebuild, and Dubas\u2019s \u201csky-high\u201d price for him wouldn\u2019t be the 25th overall pick.<\/p>\n

So, Rust is out. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s not Kris Letang, as his trade value is no longer that high. It\u2019s not Rutger McGroarty or any of the young rostered players, as their trade value isn\u2019t that high, either. And Dubas wouldn\u2019t trade Ben Kindel or Egor Chinakhov, certainly not for so far below market value. <\/p>\n

Through the process of elimination, PHN believes the player was Rickard Rakell. <\/p>\n

The Ottawa Senators have been searching for a top-six winger, and the departure of Tkachuk only exacerbated their need for not just one, but now two wingers who can put the puck in the net, and Rakell fits the bill. Further, the 33-year-old Rakell is under team control for a comparatively cheap $5 million for two more seasons. <\/p>\n

Last season, Rakell\u2019s stats belied his productivity for most of the season. A slow start and injuries limited him to 24 goals and 48 points in 60 games. And a switch to center at various points in the campaign didn\u2019t go well until the end of the season, which further dampened his statistics. <\/p>\n

Should Ottawa have accepted? PHN is a little surprised that Staois didn\u2019t, if it was indeed Rakell.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTags:nhl trade<\/a> Penguins Trade<\/a> Rickard Rakell<\/a><\/p>\n

Categorized:Penguins Trade Talk<\/a><\/p>\n

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