{"id":200072,"date":"2025-09-04T17:18:13","date_gmt":"2025-09-04T17:18:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/200072\/"},"modified":"2025-09-04T17:18:13","modified_gmt":"2025-09-04T17:18:13","slug":"what-im-hearing-about-a-penguins-sale-erik-karlsson-trade-and-a-prospect-to-watch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/200072\/","title":{"rendered":"What I\u2019m hearing about a Penguins sale, Erik Karlsson trade and a prospect to watch"},"content":{"rendered":"

PITTSBURGH \u2014 The Penguins have hung a for-sale sign<\/a>, and the organization is in a holding pattern as a result.<\/p>\n

With talks continuing between the Hoffmann family<\/a> and Fenway Sports Group, Penguins employees are operating as usual while remaining aware of the elephant in the room.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve spoken with many people within the organization, and the theme is pretty consistent: FSG is conducting business as usual, conducting quarterly meetings and continuing to spend money as it always has.<\/p>\n

But everyone knows that multiple conversations between the current and potential new owners have taken place in the past couple of months. Many of the employees I spoke to, all of whom requested anonymity so they could speak freely about sensitive information, expect a deal to be completed at some point before 2026.<\/p>\n

This, of course, doesn\u2019t guarantee anything. Deals of this magnitude can fall apart quickly. Still, the majority of people I\u2019ve spoken with believe this deal will get done.<\/p>\n

The Hoffmann family is extremely eager to enter the NHL, and this is its best opportunity yet.<\/p>\n

What about the Lemieux group?<\/p>\n

A group that includes Mario Lemieux, Ron Burkle and David Morehouse is still intrigued<\/a> by the thought of purchasing the Penguins. However, the group almost certainly cannot match the asking price, which is believed to be between $1.7 billion and $1.8 billion.<\/p>\n

There is also no indication that Lemieux is involved with the Hoffmann family. That said, if the Hoffmann family takes over, you\u2019d have to imagine their first phone call will be to No. 66. It\u2019s no secret that Lemieux has a very frosty relationship with FSG. Having Lemieux involved, even in a minor capacity, would only help the Hoffmanns start on the right foot in Pittsburgh.<\/p>\n

Where are the trades?<\/p>\n

Since a flurry of moves during the first week of free agency, it\u2019s been a relatively quiet summer for Kyle Dubas and the Penguins \u2014 and not necessarily by choice. As you may have noticed, it\u2019s been a relatively quiet summer around the entire league.<\/p>\n

It takes (at least) two general managers to tango.<\/p>\n

We don\u2019t see many trades in September, though they do happen occasionally. So, what does this mean for Dubas?<\/p>\n

Team sources told me he\u2019s content to enter the NHL season with the roster as constructed. But that doesn\u2019t mean he won\u2019t be trying to make a deal or two. I\u2019m somewhat surprised we\u2019ve reached September with Erik Karlsson, Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell still on this roster. I believed Karlsson had the greatest chance to move this summer, and while I still feel that way, he\u2019s also the most difficult of the three to trade:<\/p>\n