3 Pittsburgh Penguins Trade Candidates Heading Into Deadline

The Pittsburgh Penguins continue to make changes to their roster as they look to not only upgrade this season, but Kyle Dubas is focused on creating a young core that can still be in place once Sidney Crosby, Kris Letang, and Evgeni Malkin eventually retire.

After moving Tristan Jarry to the Edmonton Oilers earlier this season, Dubas pulled off another trade on Tuesday, using defenceman Brett Kulak as trade chip to land Samuel Girard and a second-round pick from the Colorado Avalanche.

The Penguins enter the post-Olympic break with a 29-15-12 record, sitting second in the Metropolitan Division, and expect to see Dubas making a couple more moves before the deadline hits during the afternoon on Mar.6

As far as trade candidates go, with an absolute wealth of draft picks over the next three years, especially in the first three rounds with a total of 16 picks, don't be surprised to see Dubas move out some of his draft capital for young roster players with NHL experience, and untapped potential. Dubas won't be moving out any picks unless the player coming back the other way has team control.

Off the Penguins' roster, defensive forward Noel Accairi is expected to be traded. There's been a declining role provided to Acciari ahead of the Olympics and with Connor Dewar bursting onto the scene in Pittsburgh this season, Accairi could be flipped out west for a mid-level prospect or late draft pick.

Ideally, the Penguins would like to find a new home for Ryan Graves, as the defenceman has been up and down between the AHL, and is very frustrated with his role with the organization, after signing a long-term contact in free agency. Dubas may have to add a draft pick to sweeten the pot for Graves, as his declining play isn't necessarily jumping off the page for onlooking teams.

Lastly, Matt Dumba is someone who could be moved. He's buried in the minors right now, and with a thin right-handed defencemen market, don't be surprised to see some playoff-bound teams zone in on the veteran blueliner as a depth option before the deadline.

Photo credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images