Credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
After too many public denials to count and counter claims that he was happy in Ottawa, Brady Tkachuk privately told the Ottawa Senators that he wanted to be traded to the Florida Panthers and create the biggest brother act in the NHL since the Sedin twins carried the Vancouver Canucks for nearly 20 years. And the fallout could directly affect the Pittsburgh Penguins.
On the eve of the 2026 NHL Draft, the Penguins chessboard opened up. The resulting movements may not bring the Penguins the later 20s impact player that general manager Kyle Dubas is chasing, but it would appear to make available more draft picks to acquire and additional teams in need of their veteran players.
And the arrows point right back to Ottawa.
Without Tkachuk, the win-now Ottawa Senators are sans a lineup pillar capable of 25 or 30 goals. They were already searching for a top-six winger to play beside Tim Stutzle, and now they need two.
As part of the Tkachuk trade on Sunday, Ottawa acquired the ninth and 25th overall picks in the 2026 NHL Draft, which occurs in just a few days (They also acquired a 2029 first-rounder and 2030 second-rounder).
That ninth overall pick should be a dinner bell for Dubas, as the Penguins have the 22nd overall pick. The Penguins can clearly solve the need for a top-six winger, though the ninth overall pick for one of them would be a significant overreach. But would the 22nd pick and Rakell be enough for the ninth overall pick?
The numbers work, and more importantly, Rakell, 33, has only an eight-team no trade list. It’s unknown whether Ottawa is on his no-fly list, but there are worse places to go and certainly worse teams to play for.
Ottawa beat reporter Bruce Garrioch reported that he expected Ottawa to “resume” their interest in Rust and Rakell.
Notably, Rust, 34, no longer has trade protection though Dubas has kept a “sky-high” price to acquire him because of his on-ice production and his off-ice leadership.
The potentials are significant for the Penguins’ rebuild. What could the Penguins do with the ninth overall pick? Exciting names like Viggo Bjorck and even Keaton Verhoeff, who was previoulsy in the conversation for the top overall pick before he faced the challenges of jumping from junior hockey to the University of North Dakota for a more challenging Freshman year, immediately enter the conversation.
In his final draft ranks, TSN scout and analyst Craig Button ranked Verhoeff ninth. Such a haul might send Dubas running to the phone.
The Penguins also own the 39th and 53rd overall picks which would–in theory–make jumping up a couple of more spots possible, too.
Of course, it’s important to remember that just because a trade offer appears to be fair on paper doesn’t mean the other team must accept it. Such a corollary applies to both Rakell and the Penguins 22nd overall slot.
However, there was also a second trade Sunday that could make the Dubas’s job to acquire young talent for the Penguins more difficult because Florida shipped 23-year-old winger Mackie Samoskevich to Seattle for the 25th overall pick (which they flipped to Ottawa) and a second-rounder next year.
That’s a first and second rounder for Samoskevich, who has posted only 63 points combined in his first two NHL seasons comprising of 156 games (including seven scoreless games at the end of 2023-24).
That’s a lot of trade capital for a player who has posted only 32 points last season despite increased opportunities because of the myriad of injuries in the Florida lineup.
Categorized:Pittsburgh Penguins
