Buffalo Sabres GM Kevyn Adams pulled off a few trades in the lead-up to the NHL Draft and on Draft weekend, one of which being the deal with the Pittsburgh Penguins that sent veteran defenseman Connor Clifton and a 2025 second-round pick for the younger and less expensive Conor Timmins.
The Penguins are among five clubs sending their youngsters to LECOM HarborCenter this week for the 2025 Prospect Challenge, but as the calendar clicks toward the start of NHL training camps, Pittsburgh GM Kyle Dubas may be one of the more active executives in terms of making trades, as the Pens are clearly in a rebuild posture and have numerous veterans entering the last year of their contracts.
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According to David Pagnotta of the Fourth Period, Penguins veterans Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell are among the players they are willing to move. Dubas does not have any pressure to trade either winger, since they have three years remaining on their contracts, but the return for both may be at its highest with each coming off of career years.
Rakell has a partial eight-team no-trade clause on his contract, but Rust can be moved anywhere, something that might be attractive to the Sabres, since the club trying to end their 14-year playoff drought is not a popular destination. The question is whether Adams is willing to give up the young assets necessary to acquire either Rakell or Rust. That is something that might have to wait until well into the regular season, and if Buffalo is within range of a playoff spot.
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