Despite being just a quarter of the way through the new NHL season, trade rumours are running rampant, and according to some reports, we may see some blockbuster deals on the way soon.
One player that is seemingly destined to be moved is top Blue Jackets prospect David Jiricek, with the team once more demoting him to the AHL's Cleveland Monsters, signalling that his time as a Jacket is coming to an end.
One person that was in attendance for this return to the AHL was Penguins GM Kyle Dubas, with Pittsburgh clearly having interest in the former No. 6 overall draft pick.
Now, we know just how much they want to make a deal happen, as a recent report from The Athletic's Rob Rossi has revealed that Dubas has made any prospect available in talks for Jiricek, including Rutger McGroarty, who the team just acquired this past summer.
The 6-foot-4 defenseman has struggled to make an impact at the NHL level thus far, but with great size and potential on the back of 19 points in 29 AHL games a year ago, it's easy to see why the Penguins have fallen in love with his potential.
There's no shortage of competition to land Jiricek however, as there are plenty of teams in the NHL monitoring his availability, and given how Pittsburgh should be focusing on the future, questions have been asked about their pursuit of Jiricek.
Ultimately though, he'd be a standout on many blue lines around the NHL, and if the Penguins want to move the likes of Marcus Pettersson and build for the future, acquiring Jiricek at the right cost would always be a great move.
POLL | ||
NOVEMBRE 26 | 143 ANSWERS Pittsburgh Penguins Reportedly Make a Massive Offer for Former Sixth Overall Pick: We Have the Details Will the Penguins land David Jiricek fron the Columbus Blue Jackets? | ||
Yes | 55 | 38.5 % |
No | 88 | 61.5 % |
LIST OF POLLS |
G | A | PTS | ||
Drake Batherson | 3 | 1 | 4 | |
Adam Fox | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
Owen Power | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
Brady Tkachuk | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
Tim Stutzle | - | 2 | 2 | |
Cutter Gauthier | 1 | - | 1 | |
Noah Gregor | 1 | - | 1 | |
Reilly Smith | 1 | - | 1 | |
Tage Thompson | 1 | - | 1 | |
Mika Zibanejad | 1 | - | 1 | |
Bowen Byram | - | 1 | 1 | |
Sam Carrick | - | 1 | 1 | |
Nick Jensen | - | 1 | 1 | |
Peyton Krebs | - | 1 | 1 | |
Mason McTavish | - | 1 | 1 | |
Josh Norris | - | 1 | 1 | |
Zack Ostapchuk | - | 1 | 1 | |
Artemi Panarin | - | 1 | 1 | |
John-Jason Peterka | - | 1 | 1 | |
Jake Sanderson | - | 1 | 1 | |
Complete stats |
STANDINGS 2024-2025 | ||||||
TOP 10 | GP | W | L | OL | PTS | |
Wild | 28 | 19 | 5 | 4 | 42 | |
Jets | 30 | 21 | 9 | - | 42 | |
Capitals | 27 | 19 | 6 | 2 | 40 | |
Golden Knights | 28 | 18 | 7 | 3 | 39 | |
Devils | 31 | 18 | 10 | 3 | 39 | |
Panthers | 29 | 18 | 9 | 2 | 38 | |
Hurricanes | 28 | 18 | 9 | 1 | 37 | |
Kings | 28 | 17 | 8 | 3 | 37 | |
Maple Leafs | 28 | 17 | 9 | 2 | 36 | |
Stars | 27 | 17 | 10 | - | 34 | |
Conference | Cumulative |