Confirmed Trade: [CAR/PIT] Jake Guentzel (25% retained), Ty Smith for Michael Bunting, Ville Koivunen, Vasili Ponomarev, Cruz Lucius, 2024 cond. 1st, 2024 cond. 5th

[MMC]

 

[BCNate]

and in spite of that, Vancouver *****still***** couldn't beat it.

They didn’t have what Dubas wanted, which at the end of the day was Michael Bunting.

 

[Zirakzigil]

Honestly wouldnt surprise me to see him sign with the Pens in the off season.

 

[Luigi Lemieux]

Dubas is legit gonna drive Crosby to demand a trade.

Start the rumors

 

[Big Daddy Cane]

For something a little different here:

PP bumper is a no-brainer. Plugging him into Bunting's spot 5v5:

Svechnikov - Aho - Teravainen
Guentzel - Drury - Necas
Martinook - Staal - Jarvis
Noesen - Kotkaniemi - Fast

If Kotkaniemi can find his game again, he could swap with Drury to have some size/jam on each line.

Carolina's built to have 2 strong wingers elevate a 3rd wheel center and that's okay to me. The net talent is the same. The position mix is just non-traditional.

 

[SnuggaRUDE]

all i have to say is LMAO to all the Pens fans saying it would take Lekkermaki/Willander + 1st minimum. Y'all couldn't even get a guaranteed 1st. This is definitely a quantity over quality deal wlthough the quantity isnt as bad as people are making it out to be. Its just being pointed out because of how Pens fans were so sure they'd get A tier prospects

You wouldn't prefer Koivunen to Carolina's 1st this year? I'd say he's worth more.

 

[wingsfan17]

Would it have looked better if the Pens had Mikael Granlund, Nathan Legare, Jeff Petry. Jan Rutta and Casey DeSmith instead of Karlsson? To me it it would have sucked just as much!

The contracts that expire next year and not in 2027? And you keep your 1st? Yes, it would have looked much, much better.

 

[domaug]

They didn’t have what Dubas wanted, which at the end of the day was Michael Bunting.

again, for all the chest thumping Canucks fans are doing, they couldn't offer *anything* better.

 

[Canuck Luck]

and in spite of that, Vancouver *****still***** couldn't beat it.

more like chose not to beat it. If they wanted to beat it they could have. They chose Lindholm over Guentzel originally since your GM overpriced his asset and it cost him in the end

 

[bleedgreen]

For something a little different here:

PP bumper is a no-brainer. Plugging him into Bunting's spot 5v5:

Svechnikov - Aho - Teravainen
Guentzel - Drury - Necas
Martinook - Staal - Jarvis
Noesen - Kotkaniemi - Fast

If Kotkaniemi can find his game again, he could swap with Drury to have some size/jam on each line.

Carolina's built to have 2 strong wingers elevate a 3rd wheel center and that's okay to me. The net talent is the same. The position mix is just non-traditional.

We gotta at least try him with Aho. Pay all this to play with Drury/KK? Svech and Necas flanking Drury is pretty interesting.

 

[Gilmour1996]

Hope Pens have some good penalty killers with Bunting in the lineup.

 

[bleedgreen]

You wouldn't prefer Koivunen to Carolina's 1st this year? I'd say he's worth more.

He is. For being called Hockey’s Future there’s a surprising lack of knowledge about prospects.

 

[3ladesof5teel]

Aren't these guys close to NHL ready? If so that's what Dubas is doing. He didn't give up on the core yet and need prospects that can play now and next year.

Might give up quality for that but it's because there is no time to wait

 

[Zirakzigil]

Aren't these guys close to NHL ready? If so that's what Dubas is doing. He didn't give up on the core yet and need prospects that can play now and next year.

Might give up quality for that but it's because there is no time to wait

Exactly this. And Bunting adds a lot to what the Pens lack, physicality and going to the net.

 

[Quinning]

I'm glad the Penguins won the Michael Bunting Sweepstakes

 

[crab]

lol Penguins fans thinking they were going to get Morrow and Blake to then getting this

 

[Habaneros]

This is an incredible return for a pure rental. What are people smoking?

Canes will try and woo him.They might get him to resign, Canes are a legit good team,
Even better with him on it.Will be interesting.

 

[Chainshot]

That was at the start of the season right? Koivunen had a great season for Karpat

He's worth at least a late 1st, and Ponomartov is worth at least a 2nd.

So it was around 1st + 2-3 2nds; except most of the equity is in players who are D+2 or D+3

The Meier deal seems fairly close, just the difference is the extension which would explain the conditions dragging the pick.

 

[Player 61]

I though Rangers first and Kakko were made up.. for a rental.

 

[Quinning]

Canucks will just sign him in the offseason.

 

[Dessloch]

The contracts that expire next year and not in 2027? And you keep your 1st? Yes, it would have looked much, much better.

Like you had a time machine and could predict that Karlsson would start to suck ass and that he would help tank the power play to the worst in the league? If Mike Sullivan is removed Karlsson might come alive again!

And again, Dubas job was to try and compete this year and next season with Karlsson, not suck ass with the other players mentioned, that would have happened!

Did it work out well? No, but at the time it was well worth the gamble!

 

[WarriorofTime]

Canucks will just sign him in the offseason.

He'll take a no tax state haircut probably. I could see him re-upping in Carolina if it goes well.

 

[Bounces R Way]

As much as I'd like to shit on Dubas for this I think going quantity over quality was actually the right call for Pittsburgh. All three of those guys in the return are probably now in the Penguins top 10 prospect wise with a cpl that could arguably be top 5.

Still underwhelming but that seems to be a running theme for the top UFAs this week. Just not much of a sellers market.

 

[MarkusNaslund19]

It's actually kinda funny that this deal seems like directly in the middle between what Canucks fans were offering and what Penguins fans were asking from the Canucks.

I think it's a mediocre return, but calling it anything more than that is an exaggeration. Koivunen and Ponomarev are both good and Lucius seems like someone useful. The way this trade hurts is because Pagnotta cock-teased everyone by suggesting Morrow and Blake were included.

Dude, sometimes you just gotta admit defeat. Having you and a couple of your buddies mansplain to us that you were going to get Hoglander who 'sucks' our first, whatever we got from Lindholm, maybe Lekkerimaki, etc. Is just a bad look and it's okay to admit you're disappointed.

As obnoxious as you guys were being, I remember how Canucks fans were a couple of years ago when we thought we would trade J.T. Miller. It was a horrible season with nothing other than a return for Miller to look forward to so people got really passionate and angry at fans of other teams who said they wouldn't give their first born son for our prized UFA to be.

I think that's what happened to the Penguins fans so I'm going to try to be a bit magnanimous here. You've had a bad year (I was actually hoping for you guys to give Crosby another shot at a playoff run), and you put all your eggs in this basket and got a bit weird about it.

But please, please, please, don't try to turn this into 'wow, well I guess we were both equally right here'. Because in your heart of hearts you know that's not true, and it's a rough look.

 

[Unsustainable]

We gotta at least try him with Aho. Pay all this to play with Drury/KK? Svech and Necas flanking Drury is pretty interesting.

Guentzel - Aho - TT
Svech - Drury - Necas

That should be the top 6 with Jarvis cycling in.