Rickard Rakell welcomed the early-morning meetings the Penguins had at T-Mobile Arena on Friday ahead of that evening's games against the Golden Knights.

The meetings provided a welcome respite from the stress of the impending trade deadline, scheduled for noon local time -- just about the time the Penguins would be wrapping up at the arena.

Rakell made clear leading up to the deadline that he had no interest in being shipped to another team, telling me in Denver on Tuesday that he hoped the Penguins' loss to the Avalanche wouldn't prove to be his last game in a Penguins uniform.

The trade deadline came and passed, and Rakell stayed put. Just the way he wanted.

"I'm happy I'm still here," he said following the Penguins' 4-0 loss to the Golden Knights on Friday. "We're all very, very happy. Been a little bit stressful last 24 hours or so. But like I said before, I'm really happy to be part of this team and organization. I'm looking forward to improving here."

It's not that there wasn't interest in Rakell around the league -- Kyle Dubas told reporters back in Cranberry, Pa. on Friday that there absolutely was. But the potential returns simply just did not outdo what Rakell means to this team, and what kind of role he can have as the team shifts from a retooling phase to a phase of trying to execute.

"You have to do what’s right for the Pittsburgh Penguins," Dubas said. "And for us, having Rickard Rakell as part of the Pittsburgh Penguins was definitely the right thing to do as we measured it up against everything. We’re happy to have him. He’s a big part of what we do, and I know he really wants to be here."

The on-ice contributions are obvious. A team-leading 29 goals in 64 games, and 53 points that trail only Sidney Crosby's 66. Yeah, that can help the Penguins climb out of this retooling phase in obvious ways. But the organization wanted him around to help shape the culture as the next wave of young players comes through as well.

 "Everyone has seen this year," Dubas said of Rakell. "He’s got a long history of the type of player that he is. But we see him every day, the type of person he is, as well. When you have players that perform that way on a game-in, game-out basis that show the ability to respond when things don’t go well, then can propel themselves back into being near the top of the league and perform at that level, it’s not something that you -- especially when you have them signed and they want to be a part of the community, they want to be part of the program, they know the path that we’re on and they want to be a part of helping to bring the team back to being in contention -- I would say that you don’t just push that out the door because that may be what’s wanted."

Rakell appreciated that Dubas acknowledged his commitment to the team and its direction.

"That's all I want," he said. "I mean, looking back to this summer, I just tried to prove myself and tried to earn my spot on this team again after last season. That's still my goal, just going to try to keep getting better for our team and our group here and keep looking forward."

If the Penguins are going to compete again while this core is still around, Rakell gives them an excellent chance to do that. There is simply no replacing his contributions for $5 million, especially over the next three years for which he is signed. That's going to look like pennies as the cap continues to rise in that time. 

Rakell's not a vocal leader -- he's a pretty quiet, reserved guy. But it's his presence, his work ethic, his commitment to the team and community that really can prove to be a positive influence on the next waive of Penguins prospects, especially with a number of young forward prospects in the pipeline.

The Penguins have done well to stockpile picks and prospects, but that can only take a team so far. You need veterans like Rakell, with his skill level and his drive, to help usher in that next generation too. Keeping Rakell around is good for the future.