Mark Madden's Hot Take: Despite being in postseason chase, Penguins need to be sellers

If the Pittsburgh Penguins stay in the playoff picture as the NHL season slogs into January — that’s a big “if,” but never bet against Sidney Crosby — a few things must happen.

The Penguins must regardless trade defenseman Marcus Pettersson, an unrestricted free agent at season’s end. President of hockey ops/GM Kyle Dubas swapped winger Jake Guentzel at last season’s trade deadline even though the Penguins were in the postseason chase.

You can’t let impending departures walk away with no return.

Especially if you’re a team that’s highly unlikely to win a playoff series, let alone more than one.

Especially if you need to rebuild. (The Penguins won’t use the R-word, though.)

Pettersson, currently hurt, mostly hasn’t been at the top of his game. Maybe because he knows his exit visa is being processed.

A good defensive defenseman, Pettersson would bring solid return.

The Penguins reacquired defenseman P.O Joseph from St. Louis on Wednesday.

That seems confirmation that Pettersson leaves by the NHL’s March 7 trade deadline. Like Pettersson, Joseph is left-handed.

The Steelers should have gotten another wide receiver before trading Diontae Johnson. They’ve been caught short at wideout ever since. Did Dubas learn from the Steelers’ mistake?

Either that or the Penguins are trying to corner the market on seventh defensemen. That blue-line corps features a lot of bottom-feeders.

If the Penguins fade from the playoff race, Dubas would try to trade winger Rickard Rakell. He probably should deal Rakell no matter what.

Rakell has 15 goals in 34 games. He also has a $5 million salary cap hit that runs through 2028. This might be Dubas’ best chance to dump that contract and get something good back. Rakell would be in demand.

But Dubas has the dressing room to worry about, the core three in particular and Crosby most of all.

Some have a belief, however mistaken, that this team can win. (Or at least a belief in the old canard that anything can happen if you make the playoffs.)

If the Penguins stay near a wild card, Dubas is in a difficult spot.

The Penguins went on a 1-7 run on either side of trading Guentzel last year as the dressing room indulged in a sort of mourning.

That cost the Penguins the playoffs. Trading Guentzel didn’t. The room should learn from that.

As a member of the Penguins’ 1991 and ’92 Stanley Cup champions remarked at the time, “We traded two Hall-of-Famers (Paul Coffey and Mark Recchi) in ’92. Tell them to get over it.”

But this is different.

Those Penguins followed that trade by winning a second straight Cup. These Penguins need to rebuild. Kicking that can further down the road makes the job tougher.

But if the Penguins do stay in contention for the playoffs, they should bring goaltender Joel Blomqvist back from their Wilkes-Barre/Scranton farm team.

Blomqvist is their best goalie. He performed well in Pittsburgh at season’s start. He has the team’s top save percentage at .904.

Alex Nedeljkovic is a competent backup, no better.

Tristan Jarry is toast. He’s allowed a goal on the game’s first shot five times in 14 starts this season. Worse yet, he’s conceded within five shots 12 times. Jarry essentially spots the foe a 1-0 lead most nights.

If you’re not trying to make the playoffs, none of that matters. In fact, it gives you more balls in the NHL’s Draft lottery.

But if you want to get in the postseason, Blomqvist is your best goalie.