Rumor: Red Wings and Penguins may be a fit for a big trade.

We are now just a little over a month from the National Hockey League's trade deadline for the 2019 - 2020 NHL regular season and the trade chatter around the league has begun to pick up quite a bit. In the case of the Detroit Red Wings the team will of course be a seller at the deadline given their current position at the bottom of NHL's Atlantic Division, but the question of course in which players will be moved?

In a recent mail bag for the Detroit Free Press, Red Wings insider Helen St. James was asked about what things might look like for the Red Wings at the deadline. St. James made it clear that she believes Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman will attempt to load up on draft picks as he heads into the 2020 NHL Entry Draft but also conceded that, with the rental players the Red Wings could in theory make available, the return may not be terrific. Soon to be unrestricted free agents Mike Green, Trevor Daley and Jimmy Howard have all seen their trade value take a significant hit this season, and St. James believes that Yzerman would struggle to fetch a good return for any of those players. 

She did however make some interesting comments regarding veteran forward Andreas Athanasiou, another player who has his trade value badly impacted by this very poor season from the Wings. The former 30 goal scorer does have talent however and perhaps a change of scenery would help him turn things around. St. James even went so far as to name a team that could be a potential fit for a trade involving Athanasiou, the Pittsburgh Penguins.

From St. James:

Forward Andreas Athanasiou scored 30 goals last season, but this season has been dismal — when he suffered a lower-body injury Dec. 29, Athanasiou had five goals, 14 assists and a minis-35 rating in 36 games. That has tarnished his trade value, and there’s no sense in moving a 25-year-old with his skill set — explosive speed, soft hands — unless the return is something that really boosts the rebuild. He should still draw interest, though. Maybe the Penguins consider him, since they lost Jake Guentzel to shoulder surgery on Dec. 31.

Keep in mind that the Penguins also lost star forward Phil Kessel in a trade that simply has not worked out for the Penguins. The addition of a player like Athanasiou could help add some scoring back into the lineup, especially if he can regain his 30 goal form from last season alongside players like Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby.