The New York Islanders’ 2024 offseason has been underway for more than a month and the team has already been active. They have signed top Russian free agent Maxim Tsyplakov and made a significant draft trade . The Pittsburgh Penguins have been less noisy, remaining awfully quiet as their even-longer offseason has progressed.
However, with both teams in need of a roster shakeup, could they swap some of their core players? Pageau for Rakell Swap Could Make Sense Rickard Rakell was traded to the Penguins at the 2022 Trade Deadline for a second-round pick, goaltending prospect Calle Clang, and two roster players. He impressed down the stretch thaht season in Pittsburgh, scoring four goals and 13 points in 19 games. From there, the Penguins extended him to a six-season contract with a $5 million annual average (AAV) that contains an eight-team no-trade list.
After scoring 28 goals and 60 points in his first season of the contract, he scored just 15 goals and 37 points this past season. If the Penguins were to move on from Rakell, they would be selling him at his lowest price. Unfortunately, due to the increasing pressure from the fanbase for the team to compete in Sidney Crosby’s final prime seasons, the team may decide to trade Rakell for pennies on the dollar.
This is where the Islanders can swoop in. Islanders’ center Jean-Gabriel Pageau was acquired at the 2020 Trade Deadline after scoring 24 goals in 60 games for the Ottawa Senators. In his time with the Islanders, he h.
