“Rebuild” is a term that strikes fear into almost any NHL fanbase because it is usually associated with terrible play and almost no chance at watching your favorite team make the postseason. It also is not a short process; it takes a minimum of three seasons, if not more, before a team becomes remotely competitive again. In extreme cases, “rebuilds” seem to last an eternity (I am looking at you, Buffalo Sabres fans), or take significantly longer than three seasons in the case of the Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks. Not every rebuild takes forever, though. In the case of the Montreal Canadiens, they went from picking first overall in 2022 to making the playoffs last season.
Related: How the Canadiens’ Patience Turned a Rebuild Into a Playoff Push
Rebuilds are not the worst thing if they are done right and the team enters into one at the correct time. In the case of the Pittsburgh Penguins, now is the perfect time for the franchise to enter a rebuild, and this article will outline why Penguins fans should be optimistic about this next stage for the franchise.
Penguins Have Assets That Teams Will Want
During any rebuild, a franchise will inevitably have to offload experienced veterans in exchange for younger players and draft picks. It is a tough process because many cornerstone players from years past are traded for prospects or draft picks, which does not guarantee future success. It can also be painful because sometimes those veteran players who need to be moved will not fetch a high price once they are made available for trade. For example, when the Blackhawks traded franchise legend Patrick Kane to the New York Rangers, they received a 2023 second-round pick, a 2025 fourth-round pick, Vili Saarijarvi, and Andy Welinski. In a vacuum, that is not a great return, and in many other cases, a team’s best player is just not valuable to other franchises.
Luckily for the Penguins, they have some veteran players who will fetch a decent price at the trade deadline and won’t be sold off for scraps. Both Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell score at a high rate. Rust scored 31 goals and added 34 assists in 71 games last season, while Rakell had 35 goals and 35 assists.
Now the issue is that both are under contract until the summer of 2028, and teams usually fear trading for a player with term, but Rust and Rakell make $5.125 million and $5 million,…
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