Are more moves coming for the Penguins? What changes could be coming in the next CBA? Find out in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.
WHAT NEXT FOR THE PENGUINS?
TSN: Darren Dreger reports the Pittsburgh Penguins aren’t engaging in a fire sale despite recent speculation.
Dreger claims Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas recently reached out to other GMs around the league to let them know he’s open for business and to call him if they have any ideas. However, that’s standard practice for NHL general managers, especially those with struggling teams but there’s no sense of panic.
DK PITTSBURGH SPORTS: Taylor Haase reported a league source told her Dubas had let it be known that “everyone is available, except 87 (Sidney Crosby)”. However, he doesn’t intend to tear down the roster and start a full rebuild. Haase believes that won’t happen until Crosby retires.
Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang (NHL Images).
Any future moves by Dubas will be to get back players instead of draft picks and prospects. He remains committed to trying to win with at least Crosby.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: These reports came out before the Penguins traded Lars Eller to the Washington Capitals yesterday evening.
THE SCORE: Josh Wegman pointed out that selling off pending unrestricted free agents (like Eller) is common practice for teams near the bottom of the standings like the Penguins. Potential rental chips include Anthony Beauvillier, Drew O’Connor, Marcus Pettersson and Matt Grzelcyk.
THE HOCKEY NEWS: Kelsey Surmacz added Jesse Puljujaarvi to that list of pending UFAs. She also suggested players signed beyond this season like Noel Acciari, Alex Nedeljkovic, and perhaps Kris Letang.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Those pending UFAs likely won’t fetch much as far as players go. As for Letang, he has a full no-movement clause until the end of 2025-26, which he’ll have a 10-team no-trade list. He could waive it to go elsewhere but there’s no certainty he will.
Everyone may be available but some could be difficult to move because of their no-movement clauses (Evgeni Malkin) or a combination of expensive contracts and slumping performance (Erik Karlsson).
WHAT CHANGES COULD WE SEE IN THE NEXT NHL CBA?
THE ATHLETIC: Pierre LeBrun reported on feedback from the NHL general managers to tweak the CBA in the next round of collective bargaining with the players, slated to start next year.
Reducing term limits on player contracts was the one that most interested LeBrun. According to NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly, it wasn’t anything more specific than the GMs saying if they could achieve bargaining shorter contract limits, it should be on the list.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: LeBrun reminds us that contract term limits were a contentious issue during the 2012 negotiation. Both sides agreed on eight years for a player re-signing with his team and seven years for those signing elsewhere as unrestricted free agents.
Other issues raised by the general managers include revising the restricted free agent compensation chart for offer sheets, potentially moving to a high/low model for salary arbitration, updating the walkaway thresholds for arbitration awards, and expanding buyout rights.
LeBrun indicated the preliminary sense is neither side wants another difficult CBA battle, preferring to make tweaks rather than major changes. Nevertheless, he cautions that things could change once both sides are in the same room.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The NHL has come out of the uncertainty of the COVID seasons with growing revenue due to factors like expansion, the rise of sports gambling and recent national broadcasting deals in the United States.
Neither side wants to do anything that will jeopardize that growth. Talks could go sideways if one side digs in its heels, but I believe they’ll reach an agreement the current CBA expires in September 2026 without too much difficulty.