The 2026 Trade Deadline is a little over a week away and with the season starting back up it’s time to get back to business. The Pittsburgh Penguins are currently in a playoff spot, and general manager Kyle Dubas has some decisions to make. Dubas has some pending unrestricted free agents (UFAs) in his lineup that have been difference makers this season. Will he choose to move any of them to give Sidney Crosby and the rest of the core the chance to chase a playoff run?
Who Could the Penguins Trade?
Anthony Mantha signed a one-year contract with the Penguins last summer and has been a good fit for the team this season with 20 goals and 42 points in 56 games. It is unlikely he will be traded at the deadline, mainly because the market is not ideal for a deal centered around just him. If Dubas does trade him, it would probably be for a younger player, but he will more than likely hold on to him for a playoff run and reassess the situation this summer.
Stuart Skinner joined the Penguins in December after being acquired from the Edmonton Oilers for Tristan Jarry. He has been performing well in Pittsburgh and will be a UFA at the end of this season. Skinner took the Oilers to two-straight Stanley Cup Finals but is he still that guy? He has played in 13 games with his new team and has a .887 save percentage (SV%).
The goalie position is not an area where the Penguins are currently struggling. With Arturs Silovs quickly coming up the ranks and Sergei Murashov and Joel Blomqvist down in the American Hockey League with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, there is a chance Dubas moves Skinner. However, if the Penguins make the playoffs they will more than likely want a goalie with postseason experience. This could definitely be a trade they make over the summer, but it’s unlikely it will happen at the deadline.
Noel Acciari will also be a free agent at the end of the season and there are multiple options to replace him. Filip Hallander, Rutger McGroarty, and Avery Hayes have all shown a lot of promise and could be regular fixtures in the lineup as soon as next season.
Acciari has already been a trade-deadline acquisition several times in his career, because this is the time in the season when teams are looking for his brand of physicality. He also plays a strong defensive game, which has had a huge impact on Pittsburgh’s fourth line this season. His value is a second- or third-round pick, but again with the Penguins so close to making the playoffs they may choose to keep him until the end of their season.
Penguins Will Have Another Busy Offseason
Whether the Penguins make the postseason, Dubas is gearing up for another busy offseason. Besides Mantha, Skinner, and Acciari, he also has decisions to make on players like Connor Dewar and Evgeni Malkin. He will more than likely re-sign Dewar because of his lack of trade value.
Related: Avalanche Acquire Brett Kulak from the Penguins
Dewar, who has 13 goals and 24 points this season, was acquired along with Connor Timmins for a fifth-round pick a ear ago. He has been pretty solid this season, but Dubas probably wouldn’t get offered more than a mid-round pick for him. Malkin’s future is still up in the air, but he has made it clear that he wants to come back for another season and he would take a pay cut in order to do so.
The Penguins are in a good position in the standings out of the Winter Olympic break thanks to Dubas’s discernment and patience. The question now is whether he lets his current team make a run at the postseason or remain focused on the future by moving his UFAs for assets.
