Penguins Likely To Keep 3 Tradeable Forwards Through Deadline

The Pittsburgh Penguins have had a very strong season while expectations coming in were low. There were a lot of expected trade candidates for a team that will likely not be moving out any players for picks at the trade deadline, and only maybe moving players in a larger deal to bring someone more impactful in.

There are three players in particular that have been brought up and questioned about their future.

Josh Yohe said, "I think it's far more likely that the Penguins give (Justin Brazeau) a new contract before July 1 than trade him." Not much was expected of Brazeau coming over on a two-year deal at $1.5 million AAV after playing just 95 NHL games as a 27-year-old. But he already blew by his career high of 11 goals and 22 points in 76 games and has 15 goals and 27 points in 42 games. He's solid as a third or fourth line player that can provide offense in limited minutes and is large.

One of the players that was going to generate a lot of interest and bring back a big return was Bryan Rust. He continues to be a force on offense and a very solid top-6 player. The 33-year-old, who still has two years left on his deal, has 19 goals and 40 points in 49 games and plays with Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin regularly. Yohe also said, "It would take a lot for Kyle Dubas to trade Bryan Rust. He means so much to so many people in the Penguins organization. He might be a lifer." Rust has played all 687 NHL games with the Penguins and has two Stanley Cups.

The Penguins took a chance on Anthony Mantha this season and it really paid off. He is on a one-year deal at $2.5 million AAV, but already has 20 goals and 42 points in 56 games. He's just five goals and eight points off his career highs, and that was when he was an up-and-coming star with the Detroit Red Wings. Yohe stated, "The Penguins are likely to keep him for the playoff run, but if they decide to go big-game hunting...we're talking Jason Robertson or another big-name forward - Anthony Mantha, because of his contract situation, is a trade candidate."

The Penguins have built a strong team, not on paper, but on the ice, and have a chance this season in a year they need to give it a good run. This is an interesting team to watch to see what Dubas does with them.