The NHL's 2025 off-season is here, and teams are going to be jockeying for trades and free agents in the coming days and weeks. And in this ongoing THN.com Buffalo Sabres site series, we've been examining potential trade partners for the Sabres.
We began the series with a look at the Utah Mammoth, followed by the Colorado Avalanche, Vancouver Canucks, Philadelphia Flyers, New York Rangers, New Jersey Devils and Los Angeles Kings. And in this file, we're going to break down the potential trade fit with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Let's get straight to it:
TEAM: Pittsburgh Penguins
CAP SPACE: $22.9 million
FREE AGENTS: Matt Nieto, LW; Connor Dewar, C (RFA); Phillip Tomasino, RW (RFA); Vasily Ponomarev, LW (RFA); Matt Grzelcyk, D; Pierre-Oliver Joseph, D (RFA); Conor Timmins, D (RFA)
NEEDS: Help on offense, but especially, on defense; depth at left wing; change in goaltending tandem
SABRES FIT? The Penguins have been one of the most disappointing teams in the NHL in the past three seasons, failing to make the playoffs in each year despite a veteran-laden lineup that includes icons Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang and Erik Karlsson. Astonishingly, Pittsburgh has gotten progressively worse each year, going from a 40-win season in 2022-23 to 38 wins in 2023-24 to 34 wins this past season. It's inexcusable for a team with this many experienced hands to come up so short, but that's where the Pens are at today.
Consequently, Penguins GM Kyle Dubas has a gigantic problem on his hands -- namely, how to balance the needs of the now with the long-term future of the franchise, Dubas is under extreme pressure to steer the Pens into the post-season in 2025-26, but to do that, he'll have to change Pittsburgh's lineup considerably.
That starts with goaltending, as longtime starter Tristan Jarry was an absolute disaster last year, posting a 3.12 goals-against average and an .893 save percentage. Jarry was waived by the Penguins last season, but with three years left on his contract at $5.375 million per year, nobody will be taking him off the Pens' hands. Jarry is a key candidate to have his contract bought out, but if that doesn't happen, Dubas could bury him in the American League.
Sabres Potential Trade Partner: Los Angeles KingsTHN's Sabres site is continuing a new series in which we examine potential trade partners for Buffalo. We've kicked off the series by looking at teams including the the Utah Mammoth, Colorado Avalanche, Vancouver Canucks, Philadelphia Flyers, New York Rangers.and New Jersey Devils.
If that's the case, would Pittsburgh be intrigued by Sabres goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen? The Finnish netminder's play fell off in a big way last season, with his GAA ballooning from 2.57 in 2023-24 to to 3.20 in 2024-25, and his save percentage falling from .910 to .887. Luukkonen is signed through the 2028-29 campgain at a relatively reasonable average annual salary of $4.75 million -- essentially, in the same range as Jarry's pay slot. And Luukkonen doesn't have any no-trade or no-move protection until 2026-27.
What would the Sabres want in return for Luukkonen? Well, let's start by talking about Penguins winger Bryan Rust. The 33-year-old is a proven offense-producer, and last season, he set new career-highs in goals (31) and points (65) in only 71 games. Rust would give a terrific jolt to Buffalo's offense, and Rust doesn't have any no-trade or no-move protection on a contract that pays him $5.125 million to shoot down a deal to the Sabres.
That said, if Luukkonen isn't a target for Dubas, there are other options on the Sabres who could be moved in a trade for Rust -- namely, veteran winger Alex Tuch, or young RFA winger J.J. Peterka. Both of those Sabres wingers might benefit from a change in scenery, and getting dealt to the Penguins as they aim for the playoffs once again could turn out to be just what Tuch or Peterka may be looking for.
Sabres Potential Trade Partner: New Jersey DevilsThe NHL's off-season has arrived, and here at the Sabres team website on THN.com. we're in the midst of a series of columns examining which teams Buffalo could make a notable trade with.
Another potential fit for Buffalo is Pens winger Rickard Rakell. The 32-year-old does have a modified no-trade clause allowing him to veto a trade to one of five teams of his choosing, but for all we know, the Sabres may not be one of those five teams.
Rakell's salary of $5 million runs for the next three seasons, so Buffalo GM Kevyn Adams could rest assured he had a cost-controlled asset in Rakell for the foreseeable future. Rakell posted career-bests in goals (35) and points (70) last year, and he'd be a welcome addition to a Sabres squad that needs all the firepower it can get.
Sabres Potential Trade Partner: New York RangersThe NHL's off-season has arrived, and we're turning our attention in this THN.com series to potential trade partners for the Sabres.
As you can see, there are multiple avenues Adams and Dubas can go down to consummate a major trade between Pittsburgh and Buffalo. Both teams are desperate to make the playoffs, but both teams can't afford to run it back with the status quo. The pressure is squarely on Adams and Dubas to get something done in terms of changing their respective rosters, and both teams have pieces that aren't essential to their core.
And that means a trade that shakes up the Sabres and Penguins would ultimately be beneficial to each team's competitive bottom line.