Rumor: 2 Penguins likely to be moved ahead of trade deadline.

The Pittsburgh Penguins are coming off of an abysmal weekend, one that has seemingly sealed the team's fate leading up to the National Hockey League's trade deadline later this week. 

The expectation now is that the team will look to trade a number of their players ahead of the deadline in order to recoup valuable assets in an effort to try again next year, and 2 names from the Penguins roster may be at the top of that list.

On Monday, National Hockey League insider Elliotte Friedman shared his insights into what is currently happening behind the scenes in Pittsburgh. Friedman, who has previously reported on Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas for many years during his tenure with the Toronto Maple Leafs, expressed his belief that two Penguins in particular are likely to be moved.

"Guenzel's gonna get moved here I think," said Friedman on the 32 Thoughts Podcast. 

Any talk of Guentzel being re-signed by the Penguins at this point sounds like a pipe dream according to the insider.

"I had people telling me 95/5 he gets traded," said Friedman. "It's a major upset at this time if he re-signs."

Of the teams currently in playoff contention, Friedman listed the Vegas Golden Knights, Carolina Hurricanes, Florida Panthers, Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks as his most likely destinations. He did however add a caveat, wondering if teams outside of the playoffs would consider a sign-and-trade scenario similar to the one the Calgary Flames pulled off with Matthew Tkachuk in 2022.

"While I think it's unlikely, I have wondered if team's that are out of the playoffs... would ask for the opportunity to talk to him," said Friedman. "I don't think that's impossible."

Friedman was asked if another player, a goalie, could be on the move and he sounded very confident that this could transpire as well.

"I do," said Friedman when asked if he thought a goalie trade from the Penguins was in the cards.

"I think there's some interest in Nedeljkovic especially," added the insider. "I think it's less likely it would be Jarry, but I've heard there's been some interest in Nedeljkovic and it would not surprise me at all if he was traded."

It sounds like it's going to be a busy week in Pittsburgh.