Who will be the next Penguins player to get traded?

Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty ImagesAs soon as the direction of this year’s Pittsburgh Penguins team became clear, it was easy to point out which players might be at the top of the trade list and who might be the most likely to go.

Center Lars Eller had to be at the very top of that list, and on Tuesday night he ended up getting shipped back to the Washington Capitals for a 2025 fifth-round pick and a 2027 third-round pick. The only thing surprising about that transaction is how early in the season it happened. I figured it would be closer to the trade deadline itself, but that it was an inevitable move.

Now that Eller is gone, and now that the Penguins really seem to be steamrolling…