The Pittsburgh Penguins have been the subject of a plethora of trade speculation this summer, as big-name veterans like Erik Karlsson, Rickard Rakell, and Bryan Rust have been in the rumor mill for quite some time.

While those players are - rightfully - commanding a lot of the attention on the market, there may be a few smaller moves in store for the Penguins, too.

As it stands, Pittsburgh currently has 13 forwards on its active roster, and that doesn't include any up-and-comers like Ville Koivunen, Rutger McGroarty, or SHL Forward of the Year Filip Hallander. The reality is that, in order for those guys to crack the roster, the Penguins are likely going to have to free up some roster space prior to puck drop against the New York Rangers on Oct. 7. 

While it's very possible that either Rust or Rakell will be on the move, there may be some other forwards to keep an eye on as well.

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Noel Acciari

To be clear, the Penguins like Noel Acciari and what he brings to the table. He may have negative value offensively, but he does a lot of the "thankless jobs," as former head coach Mike Sullivan would often say: He blocks a lot of shots (finished third in the NHL among forwards with 100), hits a lot of guys (led the Penguins in hits with 180), and plays a lot of the tough minutes on the penalty kill and in defensive zone starts.

Honestly, Acciari, 33, would be a pretty good get for a contending team in need of not only a depth forward, but a player who is capable of manning some of those tough minutes on the fourth line. He wouldn’t even necessarily need to be an everyday player in the lineup, although he does have value, contrary to what some Penguins’ fans might think.

Can The Penguins Still Rebuild With One Of Rakell Or Rust Around?It seems like Pittsburgh Penguins' forwards Rickard Rakell and Bryan Rust are the subject of Pittsburgh hockey news just about every other day at this point.

He’s only on the books for one more season at $2 million, which isn’t much, especially when considering the rising cap and the fact that a lot of fourth-liners will be making that kind of money. Also, Acciari would be an easy piece to throw in the mix as part of a bigger trade involving guys like Rust, Rakell, or Karlsson, depending on the destination and the cap situation.

Moving Acciari shouldn’t be otherworldly difficult. The Penguins wouldn’t get a lot in return, but it does help free up a roster spot for one of their younger players, which is more important right now.

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Kevin Hayes

Kevin Hayes may still be owed $3.57 million next season by the Penguins in the final season if his contract - the Philadelphia Flyers originally retained half of Hayes’ full $7.14 million salary in a trade with the St. Louis Blues during the summer of 2023 - which is a bit hefty of a cap hit for a 33-year-old who is on the downswing of his career.

But, it’s not like Hayes’s numbers were poor last season. Despite being a healthy scratch for a chunk of the year mid-season, he ended up registering 13 goals and 23 points in 64 games. While it’s a far cry from the peak of his career with the Rangers and the Flyers, his game is still serviceable in a bottom-six role.

Even though his footspeed isn’t blazing by any means, Hayes thinks the game on a high level, and his playmaking smarts were on display at different times throughout 2024-25. He’s also a valuable presence in the locker room, and he would be a solid veteran mentor on an up-and-coming team. 

Penguins Have Intriguing Target To Consider From BlackhawksThe Pittsburgh Penguins are currently in the middle of retooling their roster. Due to this, a number of their veteran players have been discussed in the rumor mill this off-season, including Bryan Rust, Rickard Rakell, and Erik Karlsson. 

Still, it would probably take an asset moving out with Hayes in order for him to land elsewhere next season, unless - as suggested with Acciari - he is part of a larger move (which is less likely because of his salary). Or, the Penguins could retain some salary to send Hayes elsewhere, which shouldn’t really hurt them for only this season. 

All in all, moving out Hayes shouldn’t be all that difficult, and the Penguins should do it for the same reasons they would do it for Acciari - to give their young players a more legitimate shot at regular NHL ice.

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Danton Heinen

Heinen, 30, was with the Penguins from 2021-23 and was dealt back to Pittsburgh as part of the Marcus Pettersson trade to the Vancouver Canucks last season. In his second stint, he put up just three goals and 11 points in 28 games with Pittsburgh and nine goals and 29 points total on the season. 

In keeping true to the pattern of this exercise, it’s not that Heinen is useless in the Penguins’ lineup. The fact of the matter is that his presence could potentially block a younger player from seeing the lineup on a regular basis. He is also a forward who would be easy to put on the waiver wire following training camp, but if any kind of return is out there for him, it may be worth exploring a trade now to get even minimal value.

Heinen still has some lineup versatility, and he put up 17 goals and 36 points with the Boston Bruins just two seasons ago. He may be maddeningly inconsistent and disappear for large stretches, but he may be a worthwhile gamble as a depth piece for a team trying to throw darts at the board and hoping something lands.

Should Two Top Forward Prospects Make Penguins' Opening Night Roster?Even if the Pittsburgh Penguins aren’t making a huge push to be Stanley Cup contenders in 2025-26, they have had a relatively active summer up to this point. 

His $2.25 million salary for one year isn’t huge by any means, but it’s just big enough that it could present some issues for teams close to the cap. The Penguins likely wouldn’t want to waste a retention slot on Heinen given the fact that guys like Karlsson, Tristan Jarry, and Hayes might be on the block at some point throughout the season as well. 

This is one of those, “If it’s there, why not?” scenarios. Again, the value is in freeing up a roster spot, not necessarily in the return.

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Feature Image Credit: David Gonzales-Imagn Images

Former Florida Panthers forward Peter Mueller has retired from professional hockey at the age of 37. 

Mueller played just one season with the Panthers, scoring eight goals and 17 points in 43 games during the 2012-13 season. 

Mueller was selected with the eighth overall pick in the 2006 NHL Draft by the Phoenix Coyotes. He was a standout rookie, notching 22 goals and 54 points, finishing fifth in Calder voting during the 2007-08 season. 

Following his rookie season, injuries began to plague Mueller’s career. The 6-foot-2 forward was blessed with blazing speed that coincided with his slick hands and heavy shot, but his injuries began to hamper him. He went on to play just 297 games throughout six NHL seasons with the Coyotes, Colorado Avalanche and the Panthers, recording 63 goals and 160 points. 

His season with the Panthers was his final season in the NHL, departing for the Kloten Flyers in Switzerland. He played in Switzerland for a pair of seasons before joining Malmö in the SHL in Sweden. He returned to North America to play with the Boston Bruins’ AHL team, the Providence Bruins, but continued to look a step too slow. 

He once again packed his bags for Europe, joining EC Salzburg in Austria. Mueller found a home in Czechia, joining HC Kometa Brno for four seasons of point-per-game production. He played with HC Vitkovice for two seasons prior to joining Grizzlys Wolfsburg in Germany. After playing one season in Germany, he returned to Brno for what was his final season of his hockey career. 

In May, Mueller signed a contract extension with Kometa but has apparently had second thoughts about that decision this summer due to ongoing back issues.

“This is an unexpected decision for us,” said Kometa GM Libor Zábranský. “I have been in contact with Peter for the last 14 days, and I respect his decision. Of course, we will miss him and it will be difficult to replace him at this time, but that’s just the way it is. We all wish his entire family only the best for the next stage of their lives.”

Mueller won a championship in Czechia and took home the regular season MVP as well. The skilled forward may not go down as an NHL great he had hoped to be, but he carved out an impressive career.

Former NHL First-Rounder Retires In EuropeAmerican forward Peter Mueller, 37, has announced his retirement from hockey through the website of his last club, Kometa Brno of the Czech Extraliga.

EL SEGUNDO, CA — The Los Angeles Kings have always seemed to have stability in net. That stability goes back to the dawn of the Jonathan Quick era. That era, and the strength of their crease, gave the team the confidence to trade backups like Martin Jones, Jonathan Bernier, and Ben Scrivens to 'win-now. ' It's been over a decade since the team was in a genuine 'win-now' mode and as they claw at that same approach, their crease has taken new shapes. Quick was traded during the 2022-23 season, and the Kings have now seen three starters in their crease since then. 

Even with the goaltending volatility, the Kings' system has fostered some unexpectedly grand results. Two of the three goalies have experienced excellent, bounce-back type tenures in Los Angeles, in the form of Cam Talbot and Darcy Kuemper. But in all due respect to Talbot and his one-year renaissance in LA, which was primarily backed by the league's best penalty killing performances by a goaltender that season, Kuemper delivered one of the most impressive seasons from a Kings' goaltender since Quick's Jennings Trophy-winning season in 2017-18.

DARCY KUEMPER 😲 pic.twitter.com/EagSgkUm8A

— LA Kings (@LAKings) April 8, 2025

At 34 years old, Kuemper, the former and current King, posted a .922 save percentage (second-best in the NHL among goaltenders with 40+ games played), alongside a 2.02 goals-against average, also the second-best. His 31–11–7 record and five shutouts became fuel for the Kings to threaten first in the Pacific Division most of the season, while his performance down the stretch: 1.31 GAA and .943 SV% over the final 14 games, was nothing short of elite. A well-deserved Vezina Trophy finalist, Kuemper didn't just bounce back from prior inconsistency during his time with the Capitals; he elevated himself into the top tier of NHL netminders.

For the Kings, his success wasn't just a pleasant surprise; it became a reliable defensive product to lean on. There is a difference between leaning on your goaltender to help close out a 3-1 game and entirely relying on your netminder to keep you competitive throughout. The Kings of last season were consistently in the former, with a few games here and there where he had to stand on his head. That's playing in Los Angeles for you, as the Kings don't necessarily rely on elite-level goaltending. However, heading into the 2025–26 season, the reliance on Kuemper should now be viewed as a lifeline. 

The situation should be viewed as tenuous, as the help Kuemper has behind him isn't exactly a frightening 'call to arms.' The franchise's goaltending prospects offer hope, but their ability to step in now is far from being ready to take over a backup role. The depth behind Kuemper remains uncertain, while the team's competitive window remains unclear, with three of their top positional players (Kuemper, Drew Doughty, and Anze Kopitar) all over the age of 34. There are, however, three other centers to back up Kopitar, and a platoon of defenseman to back up Doughty. That can't be said for Kuemper, and if he can't replicate last season's performance, or stay healthy, there may be no safety net beneath him. The team could be exposed in a rather unflattering way.

The Goaltending Depth Problem

As of now, the Kings' goaltending room features Kuemper, veteran backups Anton Forsberg and Pheonix Copley, as well as somewhat unseasoned Erik Portillo, a promising AHL talent who remains largely untested at the NHL level. Copley, 32, has carved out a solid career as a depth option but holds a lifetime save percentage under .900. Anton Forsberg, another journeyman option acquired for depth, has shown flashes of reliability but lacks the body of work to inspire confidence as a primary backup.

This places enormous pressure on Kuemper to carry the load in a way that he didn't experience with mostly the same group from last year. The issue is that his defensive corps in front of him has just become a lot slower and older. Given his age and the players managing the defensive end in front of him, managing his workload will be critical even if the alternatives present a clear risk. If Kuemper plays 55+ games and regresses even modestly from his .922 SV%, the team could lose crucial ground in the Pacific and Western Conference standings. And if he misses significant time due to injury, the goaltending tandem of Copley and Forsberg could quickly prove inadequate.

Erik Portillo: Talented, But Not Quite Ready

There is hope in the system. Erik Portillo, 24, had a breakout AHL season with Ontario, finishing with a 24–11–3 record, a 2.50 GAA, and a .918 SV% in 39 starts. He set a new rookie wins record for the Reign and earned strong internal praise. However, he has played just one NHL game and remains a work in progress at the highest level. Portillo could see a few starts this season, but expecting him to carry the torch, or even serve as a full-time NHL backup, should be seen as premature. He'll need another year of development before he can be relied on consistently. For now, he's a promising Plan C, locked into a long-term plan to grow an in-house 1A option.

LA Goalie Haven — But The Clock Is Ticking

As discussed, historically, the Kings have provided a haven for goaltenders. Whether it was Quick's decade-long dominance, Talbot's brief surge, or Kuemper's current resurgence, the Kings' defensive structure and coaching have allowed goalies to thrive. But success in net has masked structural issues elsewhere, especially in goaltending depth. For all their defensive identity, the Kings have failed to develop a long-term heir in goal. Portillo could be that answer, but until he proves it at the NHL level, he remains a bet on the future rather than a solution for the present. There's also Carter George and Hampton Slukynsky, but both are extremely young players trying to fill a role that has traditionally been voodoo to gauge readiness, threshold, and ceiling.

In the post-Jonathan Quick era, the Kings have made Cam Talbot an All-Star, Darcy Kuemper a Vezina candidate, and have 3 certified studs waiting in the wings #GoKingsGopic.twitter.com/1O1CvYbjry

— Toxic Kings Fan (@fialafallo) April 13, 2025

What If Kuemper Can't Repeat?

Let's assume the worst-case scenario: Kuemper regresses to a .910 SV% or misses 15–20 games due to injury. Based on historical goaltending replacement value, that alone could result in a swing of 6–8 points in the standings, which would be enough to shift the Kings from a playoff lock to a bubble team. The Pacific Division offers little margin for error, especially with teams like Seattle and Vancouver likely to be much more competitive than they were in the previous season. The same could be said of San Jose and Anaheim, too, despite projections of them again being at the bottom.

If the Kings are forced to lean on Forsberg or even Copley for extended stretches, the results may be average at best and disastrous at worst. The organization would then face a dilemma: gamble on Portillo's NHL readiness or trade away assets for an emergency rental. Neither is ideal in a season that demands stability.

Kuemper's 2024–25 season was a revelation. But the Kings' dependence on him now borders on necessity. The Kings have dealt with having lukewarm backups before, but they have never looked so exposed on the backend in front of their netminder. That, combined with prospects still maturing in the AHL, means the stakes have never been higher for Kuemper to remain healthy and effective.

LA has built a system that allows goaltenders to succeed, but that reputation won't protect them forever. Unless Kuemper repeats his performance from last season, the Kings risk wasting Kopitar's potential final year while taking a massive step back from their 2nd place, 105 point finish with their aging core.

The Buffalo Sabres have missed out on Stanley Cup playoff hockey for the past 14 seasons. They intend on being a playoff team next year, but to do so, they'll need to be relatively dominant with every team they encounter. And while we at THN.com have just finished our series against the Sabres' seven Atlantic Division rivals, it's also a good time of year to focus on the Metropolitan Division teams Buffalo will take on.

We're starting this new leg of the series in alphabetical order, with the Carolina Hurricanes as the main topic of discussion. Let's get right to it.

BUFFALO SABRES VS. CAROLINA HURRICANES

NEW HURRICANES PLAYERS: Nikolaj Ehlers, LW; K'Andre Miller, D; Mike Reilly, D

2024-25 SERIES: Sabres 2-1-0, Hurricanes 1-2-0

2025-26 GAMES AGAINST EACH OTHER:  November 8 at Carolina; November 23 at Buffalo; January 19 at Carolina 

CAN THE SABRES BEAT THIS TEAM?  The Sabres bookended their season series against the Hurricanes with wins in Buffalo, but that didn't get them into the Stanley Cup playoffs. But the 'Canes have retooled this year, with much of their defense corps leaving -- including stars Brent Burns and Dmitry Orlov -- and one major addition up front in winger Ehlers. As well, Carolina GM Eric Tulsky acquired former New York Rangers D-man Miller, and depth defenseman Reilly came into the organization as a free agent.

All things considered, the Hurricanes are surely going to be one of the teams picked to finish at or near the top of the Metropolitan Division, and many will also make them the sexy pick to win a Cup next season. But for this writer, the Hurricanes don't feel like a completed unit just yet -- and with $10.6 million in salary cap space still available for the 'Canes, Tulsky can afford to be patient and use it to address needs that become apparent once the regular-season begins.

Still, the Sabres should feel good about taking on the Hurricanes next season. Buffalo fared well enough against this 'Canes group this past year, and the changes the Sabres have made in theory make them slightly better. So in the three games Carolina and Buffalo play against one another -- even if two of them will be road games for the Sabres -- Buffalo should be competitive enough to be at least as successful against the Hurricanes as they were last season.

Know Your Enemy, Sabres Edition: Will Marner-Less Maple Leafs Continue Dominating Buffalo?The Buffalo Sabres will have many important games to play next season, but their most important games could prove to be against their rivals in the Atlantic Division.

The Sabres also still have some cap space to use to improve during the year -- $5.19-million, approximately -- but unless they have injuries to deal with on defense, the area Sabres GM Kevyn Adams is likely to spend his cap space on will be at forward. And whether Adams spends it on pure rental players, or on younger players who can be part of the long-term solution in Buffalo, there's little question there will be pressure on Sabres brass to spend right to the upper ceiling of the cap.

Regardless of who eventually gets added to Buffalo's lineup, to keep up with the Hurricanes, the Sabres will need to add speed and skill at some point and regularly crash Carolina's net to adversely impact veteran goaltenders Frederik Andersen and Pyotr Kochetkov. And they'll need a tight defensive attack to turn back 'Canes star forwards Sebastian Aho, Andrei Svechnikov, Ehlers and Seth Jarvis.

Know Your Enemy, Sabres Edition: Can Buffalo Jump Past Tampa Bay Into Third Place In Atlantic Division?The Buffalo Sabres are facing massive pressure to at least qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time in 15 years. But there's intense competition for each and every standings point teams can generate,  and the Sabres' don't benefit by playing in the Atlantic Division -- the most competitive division, in our estimation, in the league. And Buffalo is going to have to get a leg up on more than a few Atlantic rival teams, Tampa Bay included if they really intend to claim a Cup anytime soon.

At the end of the day, the Hurricanes are going to present a high competitive bar for the Sabres to try to clear. Carolina still needs a good deal of playoff success if they're going to reward Tulsky for investing in them, but if things go right for both Buffalo and the Hurricanes, they're eventually going to clash in the post-season once each of the two teams makes it our of their respective divisional showdowns.

And if it does get to that point this year and all of Buffalo's ducks line up just right, the Sabres should have a decent chance at surprising the 'Canes and embarking on a true Cinderella-level playoff run.