5 Defensemen Penguins Should Target At Trade Deadline

With the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milano-Cortina wrapping up later this week, the NHL season is one step closer to resuming.

And when it does resume on Feb. 25, the chaos will ensue.

The Pittsburgh Penguins may not take the ice again until a day later on Feb. 26, but – as is the case for many other teams across the league – the business side of things figures to pick up right away. And it’s because the NHL trade deadline is just eight days after that on Mar. 6.

As has been widely chronicled this season, the Penguins are in a great position heading into the home stretch, as they sit second in the Metropolitan Division standings with a game in hand on the division-leading Carolina Hurricanes, who they also play three times in March.

But even if they already have a pretty deep roster on the forward front, they could still use some solid depth options on their blue line, especially with veteran right defenseman Kris Letang’s status uncertain for return-to-play after having surgery just prior to the Olympic break. So, if the Penguins are going to add for their playoff push, it will likely be on the blue line, but they probably won’t want to pay and arm and a leg for premium talent right now.

So, that said, here are five potential trade targets for the Penguins to bolster their blue line by the deadline.

BREAKING: Crosby Injured During Canada’s Olympic Quarterfinal Matchup

BREAKING: Crosby Injured During Canada’s Olympic Quarterfinal Matchup Pittsburgh Penguins’ captain Sidney Crosby was injured during Canada’s 2026 Olympic quarterfinal matchup against Czechia on Wednesday and did not return.

Connor Murphy

Murphy, 32, is obviously not one of the youngest defensive options on the trade market, but Chicago Blackhawks’ blueliner is definitely one of the more reliable ones.

The veteran right defenseman could help bring more stability to Pittsburgh’s third pairing, and he is also a good buffer in case one of Erik Karlsson or Kris Letang goes down. He is solid and steady in his own zone, good at the net front, and uses his 6-foot-4, 214-pound frame to win puck battles in the defensive zone. He also has a touch offensive ability with four goals and 12 points in 57 games this season.

Murphy is on an expiring contract at $4.4 million, meaning the Penguins have plenty of room for him, and they could certainly use some true depth on their right side behind Karlsson and Letang. He will be one of the top right defensemen available on the market, though, so the Penguins may have to throw in a small sweetener to best their competition if they want to land him.

Rentals probably aren’t going to be super enticing for Kyle Dubas and the Penguins, but depending on the cost, Murphy would be worth it.

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Zach Whitecloud

Another name to potentially keep an eye on is the 29-year-old Whitecloud, who went to the Calgary Flames in the deal that sent Rasmus Andersson to the Vegas Golden Knights earlier this season.

Think a right-side Parker Wotherspoon-lite here: Whitecloud has long been a solid bottom-four presence, as he simply goes about his business doing most of the small things right. He isn’t as unspectacularly spectacular as Wotherspoon, but he boasts a solid enough defensive resume and the track record to make him another attractive depth option on the right side for the Penguins.

He makes just $2.75 million, and he’s under contract for two more seasons. Like Murphy, he would be one of the top right-side defenders on the trade block, so the Penguins won’t be the only ones vying for his services.

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Braden Schneider

Shifting to the younger side of the spectrum, one of the more fascinating cases is 24-year-old New York Rangers defenseman Braden Schneider.

Schneider, like the Rangers, has failed to truly establish consistency in the NHL, even if there is still a lot of upside to consider for the young right blueliner. He has struggled defensively so far this season and still hasn’t quite lived up to expectations set for offensive production, as he has just two goals and 11 points this season – his fourth full season at the NHL level.

With the Rangers transitioning into a rebuild, Schneider – a pending-UFA and former first-round pick (19th overall in 2020) – may be a player they are willing to part with for the right price. He seems to fit the “younger player, change of scenery” situation Dubas has sought lately, and if he shows he fits with Pittsburgh in their stretch run, he could be part of their future on the blue line.

NHL Rumors: Penguins Have Good Target In Rangers D-Man If the Penguins want to add to their blueline, this Rangers defenseman should be on their radar.

Timothy Liljegren

It’s no secret that Dubas leans into familiarity when it comes to both the draft and the trade market. And he has some of that familiarity with Liljegren, who was with the Toronto Maple Leafs for parts of four seasons during Dubas’s time as general manager there.

He, like Schneider, has not quite hit his potential at the NHL level. And like Schneider and Murphy, he is also on an expiring contract at $3 million average annual value. This is another “take a chance” situation on a guy who could pan out and a blueliner who, although a right defenseman, is versatile and capable of playing on both sides.

The Penguins could use all the defensive depth they can get their hands on, and Liljegren should be a relatively low-risk, low-cost option for them. The 6-foot-1, 200-pound defenseman has one goal and 11 points in 42 games with the San Jose Sharks this season.

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Pavel Mintyukov

A few months ago, there was a lot of talk about Mintyukov potentially being a trade chip for the Anaheim Ducks, who – like the Penguins – were not necessarily expected to be pushing for the playoffs. But, as they sit in the second wild card spot in the Western Conference, it’s safe to say that they’ll be making a playoff push in the last month and a half of the season.

Therefore, it’s unclear whether the 22-year-old left defenseman is even going to be on the market. His situation hasn’t changed all that much, since Jackson LaCombe and Olen Zellweger have passed him on the depth chart, and has played the entire season on the third pairing. But he is a pending-RFA, and he has been playing better as the season has bore on – even if he hasn’t matched the production pace of his encouraging rookie season with six goals and 15 points in 51 games this season.

He isn’t someone the Ducks should want to give up on yet, but if Mintyukov wants out, the Penguins and Dubas should be calling. The cost would be relatively high, and there is still a lot to be built on in terms of his defensive game.

But he is a puck-moving, mobile blueliner who helps in transition and has a lot of offensive upside, and he is still very young. If the price is right – and if the Penguins could swing a deal – he could become a cornerstone piece of their future, and perhaps a new system and environment would do wonders.

Report: Defenseman Pavel Mintyukov “Would Like to be Moved if He’s Not Going to Play” Young defenseman could be seeking a new home. Falling behind on the depth chart, he’d prefer a trade to get back on the ice.

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