Imagine a hockey star who's juggling new fatherhood joys with the sting of playoff droughts—Rickard Rakell embodies that rollercoaster, and it's sparking real debates about loyalty in the NHL.
Life has treated Rickard Rakell exceptionally well since he swapped teams in February 2022, trading the sunny skies of Anaheim for the steel city vibe of Pittsburgh with the Penguins. On the personal front, he's embraced the role of dad not once, but twice during his time in Western Pennsylvania. His son Ziggy arrived in April, adding to the family alongside sister Daisy and his wife Emmeli.
"He's been really nice to us so far," Rakell shared with a warm smile. "Daisy loves having a younger brother. It's been really good just spending time with family back home. Just a great summer."
While his home life has been a nonstop highlight reel of family triumphs, his career on the ice has had its share of bumps. The main culprit? The Penguins haven't sniffed the postseason in three long years. Last season hit particularly hard because, despite Rakell's personal bests—racking up 35 goals and 70 points over 81 games—they still fell short of the playoffs. For hockey fans new to the game, think of goals as the touchdowns of hockey, and points as a combo of goals and assists, showing a player's overall impact.
But here's where it gets controversial: Can one player's standout performance really make up for a team's overall struggles?
Take that power-play goal he scored against Chicago, with just over five minutes left in the third period, assisted by Bryan Rust and Ville Koivunen. It was a clutch moment, pulling the Penguins to within one, but it couldn't salvage the bigger picture. "The year before, I had a really tough year and you feel like you let the team down," Rakell reflected. "Last year, I had a better year and you want to just keep playing. You don't want it to stop. Obviously, it was a big disappointment that we couldn't pull through and push for a playoff spot. You play hockey to win. You play hockey for a chance to win and to play games in the playoffs and have success there. Anything short of that is always a disappointment."
Opinions are divided: Some fans argue that players like Rakell should demand trades to chase rings elsewhere, while others see his dedication as a model of team spirit. And this is the part most people miss—few outsiders expect the Penguins to snap their playoff skid this year. The team's in a rebuild phase, and new head coach Dan Muse is shaking things up. For instance, Rakell, usually a wing player on the left or right side, found himself at center during preseason scrimmages and even dipped his toes into penalty killing, alongside his staple power-play shifts. (Penalty killing is like defense on steroids, stopping the other team from scoring when they have a player advantage.)
"The versatility is huge," Muse explained. "I feel like you can put him in any situation. For somebody like him, he's seen it first hand, the benefits of being able to have that versatility and to build that trust with a new coaching staff. He earned that right away. It's all situations. Any forward position, it's both special teams. When you have somebody like that, it's a huge benefit. Especially during a long season, too, where you just never know where a certain game is going to go."
Rakell isn't just focused on the NHL grind; he's eyeing international glory too. After representing Sweden in the NHL's 4 Nations Face-Off exhibition tourney last year, he's eager to don the blue and yellow for the real deal: the Olympic Games in February. Having played for Sweden in two IIHF World Championships already, this would be a fresh challenge. "Getting a chance to play in the Olympics, I never really had a chance before," said the Sundbyberg, Sweden, native. "That would be huge for me and a great motivator for this year." (The IIHF is like the FIFA of hockey, organizing global tournaments to crown champions.)
Building on last year's successes, Rakell's next goal? Level up even more. "I always try to get better," he said. "I'm really happy with how things went last year. But I think having done that, I can take another step, reach another level. That's my goal coming into this year is to try to be even better. Take the good things that I did and just improve them."
Of course, the better he performs, the louder the trade whispers grow. As the Penguins faded from playoff contention last season, speculation swirled, with Rakell often at the center. The rumors haven't quieted down over the summer or at the start of this campaign. "I'm doing my business here," Rakell stated, noting his contract includes an eight-team no-trade list. "I'm looking forward to another year here. Just going to try to do the best for this team and myself. Obviously, you read a lot of stuff and you hear a lot of things. It is what it is. You do really well, people are going to start talking. You do really bad, people are going to start talking. I guess when you're just even, everybody stops talking. That's not a good thing for yourself either."
Here's a controversial twist: Is Rakell's loyalty to Pittsburgh admirable, or is he settling for less by staying on a rebuilding team when he could chase greener pastures?
Ultimately, Rakell's dream remains the ultimate prize: hoisting the Stanley Cup. When he inked his six-year deal with a $5 million cap hit in 2022—a deal some saw as stingy for a player who can hit 30 goals—his reasoning was clear. "A big thing for me was having the chance to win," he explained back in July 2022. "I had a really good feeling about the Penguins the second when I got there." Despite three winless playoff springs, Rakell holds onto that optimism. "Looking around this room," he said. "I feel like we have really good players still. Now, Dan comes in and has some new thoughts. It's been feeling really good so far. I'm excited to see where this can go. … We have the star power to make good things happen."
What do you think? Is Rakell's unwavering commitment to the Penguins inspiring, or should he push for a trade to a contender? Do trade rumors unfairly overshadow individual achievements? Share your thoughts in the comments—let's debate!
