‘Lots of interest’: Why Dubas declined to trade Rakell, Grzelcyk

This article originally appeared on PGHHockeyNOW.com.

The Pittsburgh Penguins and Rickard Rakell will remain in Las Vegas for another few hours on Saturday for a practice at the Vegas Golden Knights’ practice rink.

Just how much this team can improve with any amount of practice is another matter.

Fans should be under no illusions or pretense. A rebuild is underway. It’s not a tear-it-down rebuild but is beginning to teeter on a “watch it crumble” sort of revamp.

A quick gander upon the lineup Friday night might have elicited far more questions than is customary in these parts. The most notable query would surely have been about the identity and qualifications of those filling parts of the Penguins lineup.

But Rakell remains with the Penguins. Despite a strong seller’s market at the NHL trade deadline Friday, Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas did not trade the winger.

The reasons to keep Rakell were abundantly clear Friday night in the Penguins’ 4-0 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights. If not for the Penguins’ top line with Rakell, Sidney Crosby, and Bryan Rust, the game would have been an ugly beatdown uncomfortable to watch for even the most bloodthirsty UFC fans.

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