Earlier in the week, reports surfaced from Taylor Haase of DK Pittsburgh Sports that Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas is letting the league know that everyone currently on the Penguins roster is available for trade, excluding captain Sidney Crosby, saying, “A league source told me earlier this week that Kyle Dubas has made it known to other teams that ‘everyone is available, except 87.'” Additionally, Haase reported that “the objective of any near-future moves wouldn’t be to add more futures. Rather, it’d be to acquire actual players back, since this isn’t a ‘tear-it-down-to-the-studs rebuild’ yet, as Dubas likes to say.”
Pittsburgh looking to shake up the core makes a lot of sense, as they sit fourth-last in the Eastern Conference with a 6-9-2 record this season and after a crushing 7-1 loss to the Dallas Stars on Monday night (Nov. 11), it’s clear they don’t have a competitive roster to play against the league’s best teams and potentially not good enough to even make the playoffs. Dubas meant what he said, as on Tuesday (Nov. 12), the Penguins traded forward Lars Eller to the Washington Capitals for a pair of draft picks (third-round in 2027 and fifth-round in 2025).
With a possible fire sale now on the horizon, the opportunity arises for a fellow Eastern Conference team to get on the phone and call up Dubas to strike a deal. Sitting with an 8-7-2 record and struggling to find a consistent game, the Boston Bruins are a team that may be looking to change things up. After sending down Matthew Poitras to Providence to help him find his game in the American Hockey League (AHL), Boston is running out of different line combinations and roster moves to make it work and sooner rather than later, a trade might be the only option left. If they decide to reach out to the Penguins, there are a few options the Bruins could try and snag.
Evgeni Malkin
Yes, this might be a massive long shot, but no sense in ignoring it without at least entertaining the possibility. Without question, Evgeni Malkin is going to be one of the most sought-after players for teams trying to capitalize on Pittsburgh selling their assets and for good reason. Even at 39 years old, Malkin is still producing at a high level, scoring five goals and 13 assists for 18 points in 17 games this season, a season after he put up 67 points in 82 games and two years after an 83-point campaign in 82 games in 2022-23.
His age is clearly a concern, but Malkin does only have one year left after this season on his $6.1 million contract, so while it isn’t a true rental, it also allows Boston to feel comfortable giving up a little more knowing he has an additional season. Malkin in Boston would drastically improve the offensive depth that is so severely lacking, either at center or on the wing. He would be able to slot in anywhere in the top-nine and most importantly, can be added to the Bruins’ powerplay that is sitting near the basement of the league. At this point, any player with skill (and to Bruins’ management’s liking, size) will improve the current state of the offense.
With the Penguins expecting roster players back, there is a chance a player with an expiring contract like Trent Frederic, who has been involved in his share of trade rumors recently, is involved in this package. Pittsburgh would be getting a player with size and potential and while he is struggling to start the season, is coming off a career 40-point season in 2023-24, which may be intriguing to Dubas. There may be some salary retention needed or throwing in another expiring contract in Morgan Geekie along with Boston’s 2025 first-round pick to get this across the finish line. The cost may be high, but Malkin would be worth it.
Drew O’Connor
On the heels of Malkin, trading for Drew O’Connor is far more realistic and with that, doesn’t add anywhere close to the value that Malkin does. However, trading for him could be a smart move to get a new, fresh face in the lineup and may add some different internal competition between the forwards. O’Connor has played all around the Penguins’ lineup, getting time on a line with now ex-Penguin Lars Eller and Jesse Puljujarvi and also time with Crosby and Bryan Rust. His versatility lets the coaching staff throw him around the lineup, but unfortunately, the production has not come this season.
In 17 games for Pittsburgh, the 6-foot-3, 200-pound O’Connor has three goals and four points, which is on pace for around 19 points – well below the 33 points he put up last season. His defensive analytics have been quite poor in 2024-25 too, showcasing the Penguins’ struggles as a whole. O’Connor, making $925,000 for this season, doesn’t carry much value, if any. Seeing as Eller went for a pair of mid-to-late draft picks, O’Connor could go for something similar or less. Boston can potentially take a swing on him for depth down the lineup and hope he finds his game in a new scenery. Either way, it’s a low-risk situation.
Cody Glass
Cody Glass is another intriguing option from the Penguins, but acquiring him might be a bit more unlikely considering they just brought him into the organization this past summer when they traded for him from the Nashville Predators. If he is available though, he can be a good depth option similar to O’Connor, but with a higher ceiling. Glass has yet to find the back of the net as a member of the Penguins this season, only producing four assists in 14 games played. His career-best season came back in 2022-23 with the Predators when he posted 14 goals and 21 assists for 35 points in 72 games played.
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Another big body at 6-foot-3 and 203 pounds, Glass can be an effective winger or center for the Bruins and his strong underlying numbers suggest that a different group of players in Boston could be enough for him to get on the scoresheet more often. As it stands right now, Glass leads the Penguins in shots for on-ice per 60 (37.14), expected goals for per 60 (4.15), expected goals for percentage (67.9%), second on the team in scoring chances for per 60 (34.46), fourth in shot attempts per 60 (16.12) and second in high-danger scoring chance percentage (70.69).
A lot of these in-depth statistics show that while Glass won’t be an elite scorer, his chance generation can be enough to eventually catch fire and raise the goal and assist totals in the process. Like O’Connor, there isn’t a ton of value for Glass right now, but with him being in the final year of a $2.5 million average annual value (AAV) deal, he can be a solid under-the-radar addition to a Bruins team looking for a spark. It should be noted that as of Nov. 12, Glass is on injured reserve with a concussion that was suffered in Nov. 7’s loss to the Carolina Hurricanes and a timetable for a return is unknown at this point. Regardless, once he recovers, he can be an asset for Boston.
Options for Don Sweeney to Consider
While there isn’t any traction to Bruins GM Don Sweeney making these deals or anything like them, the Penguins are a team to monitor over the next few weeks as Dubas looks to improve the roster around Crosby. Taking advantage of players that are off to slow starts and building their confidence as the season progresses may prove to be more valuable instead of waiting until March for the trade deadline to acquire a player to improve the team. No matter what, the Bruins cannot be content with the current assembled roster and if there is an option to better the team, Sweeney needs to jump at the bid – whether it’s with the Penguins or another team.
