Western Contender Tried to Land Penguins Rickard Rakell, But Trade Collapsed

Despite plenty of speculation in the weeks leading up to the 2025 NHL trade deadline, the Pittsburgh Penguins decided to hold onto forward Rickard Rakell, much to the dismay of many fans.

In a very seller friendly market, many believed that Rakell would have fetched a fantastic return for GM Kyle Dubas, but ultimately, a deal simply didn't come to fruition.

Now, we know of at least one team that was deep in discussions with Pittsburgh to land the veteran forward, with Elliotte Friedman reporting that the Los Angeles Kings engaged in talks to land Rakell, but for whatever reason, they couldn't find a price that worked for them.

In 64 games played this season, Rakell has notched 29 goals and 53 points, putting him on pace to best his career high of 69 back in 2017/18 with the Anaheim Ducks, but unfortunately, he's doing it for a franchise that has no opportunity to push for bigger things this season.

Fortunately for Pittsburgh, the 31-year old is under contract for a further three seasons after 2024/25, and with the salary cap around the league going up, the $5 million cap hit for Rakell should be a very easily tradable one for the team as they look to continue building for the future.

With Pittsburgh still having Sidney Crosby and their veteran core, it's unclear exactly what direction Dubas will take over the summer, but with Rakell and potentially Erik Karlsson being seen as tradable pieces, the core could look very different when the 2025/26 season begins.