‘We’re only human’: Following Penguins’ slow start, trade anxiety sets in

Losing is never a fun thing for any team in the National Hockey League.

But it’s particularly taxing for a team like the 2024-25 Pittsburgh Penguins, who could, potentially, have significant roster and organizational changes on the horizon.

As it stands, the Penguins are 9-12-4, which is last in the Metropolitan Division. They are just five from the bottom of the league in scoring percentage (.440), ahead of only Chicago, Nashville, San Jose and Montreal.

GM and POHO Kyle Dubas has been busy, attending other games – most recently spotted in Detroit – and already making some moves so far. He traded forward Lars Eller to the Capitals for two draft picks a few weeks ago and, more recently, traded for a young forward in Philip Tomasino.

Changes are already happening. And despite two straight wins this week – the Penguins ended a three-game losing streak Wednesday against Vancouver and won again at Boston on Friday – frustration on the ice and in the locker room has been apparent for much of the season .

Although they try to take everything day by day, they are well aware of the potential consequences if they fail to keep the ship heading in the right direction.

“Yes, it’s all part of the game,” said defender Marcus Pettersson, who has often been the subject of rumors this season. “It’s all up to us. No one wants to be in a position where there’s a lot of talk about the team. So, I think everyone understands what the business is and everyone knows what we’ve gotten ourselves into. We don’t really talk about it much, to be honest. I think it can leak out, but we have to do our best to make sure it doesn’t.”

What’s often lost in trade discussions and speculation — especially with struggling teams — is that these players are people. Ultimately, they have lives, families and personal matters to deal with off the ice.

Even though they do their best to drown out the noise, they hear it. They know what is said about them. They know the kind of talk that goes around when a team struggles to string together wins and establish an identity.

And, because of this – even though they remain focused on this on a daily basis – a certain level of anxiety sets in about potential changes.

“I think there’s a little bit,” goalie Alex Nedeljkovic said. “We’re only human. You hear it and you try not to listen to it, you try not to look at it and you try to avoid it. But obviously that’s part of the territory when you’re not not in the position you want to be in, when you’re near the bottom of the league people start asking questions or start saying things.”

Nedeljkovic said they were also often aware of the nature of these discussions. In a sense, the easiest thing for fans and media to do is – like the players – to treat everything like a business.

However, when it happens on the other side – and not on the side of the players actually passing through it – that “human” element is sometimes lost. In fact, gamers, in a way, live in a completely different world from this speculation.

And, unfortunately, some people – whether fans, journalists, writers or broadcast personalities – don’t always recognize that there’s a person on the other end of a tweet , a podcast, an article or a comment.

“Sometimes the things that are said are just clickbait, or people just say things because it makes sense in this unreal fantasy world that sometimes we like to live in,” Nedeljkovic said. “As much as it makes sense to you, at home, sitting in your chair, you’re looking up things about lineups and stuff, and, ‘Ah, that makes sense if this team wanted to do that,’ like… that’s not how the world works, you know? And if for some reason things happen a certain way, then that’s just the way it is, it’s out of our control.

He continued: “So we just have to look out for ourselves, take care of ourselves, take care of our own business, and it will take care of itself.”

Pettersson – who was acquired from the Anaheim Ducks on December 3, 2018 – recalled when he was traded to Pittsburgh. Having “no idea” what was going to happen, he returned from a road trip with his team to find he had been dealt.

As someone who was just making his way in the league at the time, it was shocking but exciting, as he was heading to a contending team. But Pettersson acknowledged that things are a little different now that he’s more of a veteran player.

“I think as you get older you think about these things more and you understand a little bit better how everything works,” Pettersson said. “But I experienced that here too. A few years ago, when I was struggling, there was a lot of talking. And you can’t really control that. What you can control is what you put on ice. It’s difficult and, as Ned said, it’s a human element. We all understand what happens when you go through tough times.

Again, it’s worth noting that the Penguins have won two games in a row. They face the Calgary Flames on Saturday and they have a chance to win three games in a row for the first time this season. More and more sequences like this can go a long way in instilling confidence in a locker room that, at times, has been looking for answers.

But make no mistake: whatever happens, that belief resides in the guys who occupy the locker room here and now. So whether or not these outside noises and speculations prevail, each actor will continue to focus on what they can accomplish together.

“It’s definitely there, but there’s nothing we can do,” said forward Noel Acciari. “It’s a deal. But we can win with these guys in the room. Once we figure that out and get into a rhythm, I think we’ll be in a good situation. It’s up to us to get out of this. We put ourselves here, and it’s up to us to get out of this.