NHL Trade Rumor: Analyst claims $20,125,875 Penguins' D-man to be 'dealt' ahead of deadline

All signs point to Kyle Dubas and the Pittsburgh Penguins being sellers leading up to this year's NHL trade deadline. Sitting four points out of the playoffs with a 20-21-8 record (48 points), the Pens are poised to miss the playoffs for the third consecutive season.

It's unchartered territory for the legendary trio of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang. They're used to adding new players to help them push for the Stanley Cup down the stretch.

However, times have changed, and Dubas will likely be trading more veteran players in exchange for younger players and draft picks in the coming weeks.

On Wednesday, The Athletic's Josh Yohe reiterated that defenseman Marcus Pettersson is as good as gone. Yohe said that Dubas and Pettersson's representatives "haven't discussed a new deal" and "will be dealt with before the deadline."

"It’s basically a foregone conclusion that Pettersson will be dealt," Yohe wrote. "The return figures to be too important for the Penguins to pass up."

Pettersson is in the final season of a five-year, $20,125,875 contract signed in 2020. As a pending UFA, he'll have plenty of contending teams vying for his services.

Yohe also mentioned that sources have brought up forward Drew O'Connor. The 26-year-old pending UFA has size and speed that could draw interest in the trade market. He's struggled offensively with just 16 points (six goals, 10 assists) in 49 games this season, though he comes at a reasonable $925,000 average annual value.

The Penguins don't have many other pieces to trade

While some have speculated that the Penguins will have a fire sale at the deadline, that likely won't be the case.

Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Bryan Rust, Erik Karlsson and Kris Letang all have full no-movement clauses. Meanwhile, Rickard Rakell, Michael Bunting, Kevin Hayes, Noel Acciari, and Ryan Graves have modified no-trade clauses. The Penguins would love to move struggling goaltender Tristan Jarry, who they waived last week, though nobody claimed.

Other than Pettersson and O'Connor, that leaves pending free agents Matt Grzelcyk, Anthony Beauvillier and Matt Nieto as trade options. It's not necessarily the flashiest names you'll find on the block. It's fair to expect Pittsburgh to sell before the Mar. 7 trade deadline.

The Pens continue a seven-game road trip on Thursday night in Anaheim against the Ducks. The puck drops at 10 p.m. ET at Honda Center.