The Pittsburgh Penguins continue to reckon with back-to-back missed postseasons — the first time that's happened in Sidney Crosby's career — and the captain is still without a new contract after his 12-year pact expires next summer.
The Pens have one of the oldest rosters in the National Hockey League, and there are a few veterans who just don't move the needle anymore. Two of those players include Noel Acciari and Lars Eller; the duo have become expendable after the additions of Kevin Hayes and Cody Glass on the trade market and Anthony Beauvillier and Blake Lizotte in free agency.
“It would seem that Noel Acciari and Lars Eller could be dealt to acquire more draft picks and clear space for younger players, such as Vasily Ponomarev, to make the leap to the NHL,” wrote Pittsburgh Hockey Now's Dan Kingerski late last week.
“Perhaps NHL GMs need to see Acciari’s reckless abandon on the wing to increase his trade value rather than the buttoned-up center he was, whose impact was solid though unspectacular. Eller should have some value, though at 35 years old, it might be a little less than the 2023 NHL trade deadline when the Washington Capitals recouped a 2025 second-round pick.”
Both Acciari and Eller are coming off tough years; the former chipped in just seven points in 55 contests, while the latter added 31 over a full 82-game slate.
It's clear that Kyle Dubas is playing the long game, especially as Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang and Bryan Rust enter the twilight of their careers. And, at some point, the team has to let the young guys play.
Penguins must create space for young players
In order to begin creating a younger roster, the Penguins could waive a player like Glass, who was acquired from the Nashville Predators, writes Kingerski.
“However, there would be a financial impact on the organization to have multi-million-dollar veterans in the AHL, as well as a salary cap hit. The 2024-25 maximum ‘stashed salary' deduction is $1.15 million.”
With that, it looks like the trade market could be the way to go for guys like Acciari and Eller. And that could open up space for a player like Ponomarev, who was selected in the second-round by the Carolina Hurricanes and came over in the trade that sent Jake Guentzel to Raleigh. He scored 29 points in 39 games with the Chicago Wolves in the AHL last year.
Ville Koivunen also came to Pennsylvania in that trade, and the 21-year-0ld could be ready for the NHL after ripping up the Finnish Elite League to the tune of 22 goals and 56 points in 59 tilts in 2023-24.
While everyone in Pittsburgh is focused on Crosby's next contract — for good reason, age just doesn't seem to be slowing down the perennial superstar — it's becoming abundantly clear that a rebuild is on the horizon.
And for that to happen, a couple of ineffective veterans might be on their way out the door to make room for young guys to earn roster spots in 2024-25 and beyond.
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