Jason Robertson's top trade team revealed as well as pieces going back the other way
Photo credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Pittsburgh's two best trade chips for Jason Robertson are also wanted somewhere else entirely.
David Pagnotta reported Monday that the Penguins remain firmly in the mix for the Dallas Stars winger, with Rickard Rakell and Bryan Rust as the likely centerpieces heading back.
What that report leaves out is that Rakell and Rust were already trade targets on their own, separate from any Robertson deal.
Ottawa Senators insider Bruce Garrioch flagged in late June that the Senators could revisit interest in both players, independent of Dallas or Robertson entirely.
That means Pittsburgh isn't just negotiating a price for Robertson. It's also fielding outside interest in the very assets it would need to send away to get him.
If Ottawa circles back on Rakell or Rust this summer, Kyle Dubas suddenly has leverage he didn't have a week ago, or a complication that slows the Robertson talks down.
Why the Senators connection matters more than it looks
Pagnotta has also linked Ottawa to Robertson directly, reporting the Senators were making a real push for him before the draft.
That puts the Senators on both sides of this equation, chasing Robertson while also eyeing the exact players Pittsburgh would offer for him.
Two markets wanting the same pieces for different reasons tends to drive value up, not settle it.
The Crosby window adds pressure Dallas can use
Sidney Crosby is 38 and still producing at a 74-point pace, and Evgeni Malkin is 39, so Pittsburgh has less patience than most buyers.
Jim Nill knows that, and a motivated, aging core is exactly the kind of leverage a selling general manager wants on the other side of the table.
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