Penguins Shouldn't Give Up on Struggling Forward

This season has not gone according to plan for Pittsburgh Penguins winger Rickard Rakell. He's suffered from a mix of injuries and bouts of inconsistency and found himself attached to trade speculation before the trade deadline.

That speculation will likely carry over to this summer when the Penguins attempt to turn this team back into a playoff contender for 2024. But keeping Rakell could push the Penguins closer to regaining their prior success than trading him.

Rakell's season was off the rails from the very beginning. He went 17 games without scoring a goal before spending a month on long-term injured reserve. Since returning, his play has improved, but more inconsistencies pushed him down the Penguins lineup.

It isn't the first time Rakell has dealt with a season like this. His 2020-21 season with the Anaheim Ducks was nearly identical. In 52 games, Rakell scored 28 points (9G-19A) and finished with a 6.3 shooting percentage. This season, Rakell has played 52 games and scored 27 points (9G-18A) with a 6.9 shooting percentage.

Rakell bounced back following his tough 2020 season, scoring 20+ goals the following two years and topping out at 60 points with the Penguins in 2022-23.

A hefty contract (4 years x $20 million) and recent performance make Rakell harder to move this summer, but it may be in the Penguins best interest to give him another year to see if he can bounce back again.