The Pittsburgh Penguins remain firmly in the mix for Jason Robertson, according to NHL Network insider David Pagnotta on Monday.
That's a real swing for a franchise trying to turn the page after another disappointing finish.
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Robertson is reportedly demanding $14,000,000 a year, well above his current $7,750,000 cap hit. That number alone changes the calculus for any team in this conversation.
Pagnotta says Rickard Rakell and Bryan Rust would likely be the names heading back to Dallas in any deal.
Rakell posted 48 points in 60 games this season at a $5,000,000 cap hit. Rust added 65 points in 72 games at $5,125,000.
Combined, that's roughly $10,125,000 coming off Pittsburgh's books, useful cap relief if the goal is freeing up space for a $14 million extension.
Robertson scored 96 points in 82 games this season, going plus-22 with 9 game-winning goals.
He added 8 points in 6 playoff games before Dallas was eliminated by Minnesota.
Penguins betting on Robertson while Crosby's window stays open
Pittsburgh finished 41-25-16, tenth overall with 98 points, but they're currently riding a three-game losing streak and finished the regular season just 5-5-0 over their last 10.
Sidney Crosby is 38 and still producing at 74 points. Evgeni Malkin is 39.
The Penguins core isn't getting younger, and a 26-year-old scorer like Robertson would fit a roster trying to maximize what's left of this window.
But giving up two players who combined for 113 points to get there, while also committing $14 million annually, is a massive bet on one player solving multiple problems at once.
Dallas hasn't confirmed anything publicly. Robertson's trade saga keeps growing, and now it has a real package attached to it.
Whether Jim Nill actually wants Rakell and Rust back, or whether this is just one offer among several, remains the open question heading into the coming days.
Should the Penguins trade both Rickard Rakell and Bryan Rust to land Jason Robertson?
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