What happened: The fallout from the Tkachuk trade has turned toward the Pittsburgh Penguins, who enter the offseason facing fresh pressure on how to retool. Pittsburgh has been weighing moves from a veteran trade pool reported to run deeper than just Rakell, Rust and Karlsson.

Why it matters: The Tkachuk deal reinforces a growing trend of elite players steering their own destinations, raising the degree of difficulty for clubs trying to recalibrate. As rival contenders add star power, the Penguins face sharper questions about how aggressively to move on from an aging core.

What to watch: Watch whether Pittsburgh accelerates talks on its veteran trade pool, and how the rest of the division responds to the reshaped Eastern Conference landscape.