The Pittsburgh Penguins held on to Rickard Rakell at the trade deadline, but it wasn't for a lack of trying as one Western Conference team tried hard to land him.

Kyle Dubas made a shocking statement after the trade deadline passed today, revealing his true intentions for Sidney Crosby and the team in the coming years.

If the last few days have taught us anything about this year's NHL trade deadline, it sure is a seller's market.

LISTEN to what Pens general manager Kyle Dubas said of not trading one of the most sought after players & why he wants to keep Rickard Rakell

Time is ticking toward the NHL trade deadline. Soon, teams will no longer have the opportunity to either cash in as sellers or bolster their potential playoff rosters. On Friday afternoon, the buzzers will officially sound on NHL trades.

The Penguins have nearly lost every game since the 4 Nations Face-Off. They were playing fairly well before that two-week break and theoretically were alive in the playoff race, sitting just 6 points out of a postseason spot. A couple of weeks later, the Penguins are plummeting.

Rickard Rakell's value may never be higher than it was before the trade deadline. If it's not, Dubas missed an opportunity. Time will tell.

Since becoming the Penguins general manager, Kyle Dubas has faced heavy criticism for moves that he has made. Pittsburgh sports fans are just babies that want to cry about everything. Dubas had one goal at the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline which was to acquire assets to get the rebuild underway and he did that.

The Penguins take on the Wild in a post-trade deadline matchup. ​Welcome back to NHL Predictions here on Last Word on Hockey! Each day, we provide in-depth analysis, insights, and predictions for all the NHL’s games.