Rumor: Dubas has told other teams "everyone is available, except 87."”

[Fist of Fury]

I'll take take Malkin for Engvall, Wahlstrom and 2nd year 2027.

 

[DesertPenguin]

this is the avs chance to unload a plethora of mediocre goalies.

Take Jarry full freight and it sure is.

 

[Spearmint Rhino]

Pens firesale and are gifted McKenna in the 2026 draft

Book it

 

[Frank Drebin]

Dubss very savvy trader buyer beware

 

[Extra Texture]

What's really mind boggling is the denial some Pen's fans are in about their team and the inevitable and overdue complete teardown

You used the word “overdue”. There have been plenty of outside fans on this board saying “the team is old, what are you going to do, gotta pack it in and rebuild” since like 2020. People were using that term back then too.

And at that time, in 2020, and in 2021, and 2022, Pens fans were rightly pointing out the coach no longer works to the teams strengths, and the first move should be to fire him and see what a different system could achieve. That refrain went on for a few years, even as everyone in the hockey world were telling us we were so LuCkY to have Mike Sullivan still around, who coached the same way in 2023 that he did back in 2015

So it is infuriating, with the team circling the drain, to see people now junk the “coach needs to be fired” argument with a shrug of the shoulders. “It won’t make a difference now”. Yeah, no shit, because we are years on from the point where it might’ve made a difference. So will finding a new coach now, in 2024, make a difference in fortunes after 3 below par GM regimes have come and gone? Probably not. The damage is done and thE cupboard is bare. Would it still make us feel better, and maybe end the suspicion that Mike Sullivan has the franchise’s nutsack bronzed on a plaque in his office? Hell yes it would.

 

[CanadianHawks]

The issue is can they even do that? Letang's deal is untradeable due to the term left on it. Karlsson's deal is untradeable without massive retention. Rust has a full NMC and term left. Rakell has term left. Graves and Jarry are awful and completely untradeable. Bunting is also similarly untradeable with his horrid start the year.

What's even left after that? It's Crosby and Malkin, both of who have full NMCs and would be in complete control of any moves (or lack of moves), and Pettersson. That's it, everyone else is a nothing piece or can't be moved.

I think you eat half the Karlsson deal and move it. Letang Crosby and Malkin probably stay put. Might have to change a coach to get enough out of other pieces to make them tempting enough to move.

The Karlsson move never made sense. The fact they made it but have floundered without changing coaches puzzles me. Every coach has a shelf life.

 

[Oddbob]

Ownership promised they would make the team better to Crosby? What moves did they make this summer that improved the team? Legit question, not a shot at the team. Aren't Hayes and Grzelcyk the only regulars that are new to the team?

Tanking is exactly what Dubas wanted.

I doubt it. GMs who want a rebuild don't pay futures for Erik Karlsson.

 

[Spearmint Rhino]

Letang at 50% retention to Montreal for a 3rd then Habs can deal Matheson now to even up their D pairs and trade Savard at the TDL and still have a vet presence next couple of years.

 

[GirardSpinorama]

Dubas is such a moron, goes to a team wanting more control and isnt even allowed to fire the coach.

 

[GirardSpinorama]

Both can be true that Dubas has done a bad job with the Penguins while Leafs fans are also massive bitter exes about him.

Dubas is one of 3 GMs responsible for why the Penguins roster today sucks. Sullivan is the reason why the roster is performing even worse than it is on paper. It's not a simple "it's all Dubas' fault!" situation.

Dubas is a GM that adds very little value. Hes basically treliving level GM. Unlikely much better than Hextall. He gets hate on because his cult praised him to be better than he actually was. He should be fired before hes allowed to make any more moves. Hes already failed.

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

History has shown that if you have mid round picks in 2027, you can likely get anyone on the team from Dubas, including Crosby.

 

[Yatzhee]

A fellow 200 lvl season ticket holder from my Sabres that I speak to regularly told me Dubas and Adams were seen up top in conversation before and after the Canadians/Sabres game. Who knows what was chatted about but I'd assume possible roster moves were.

 

[Le Magnifique 66]

Letang at 50% retention to Montreal for a 3rd then Habs can deal Matheson now to even up their D pairs and trade Savard at the TDL and still have a vet presence next couple of years.

50% retention we can do much better than that. And if anything between both teams happen, starting point would have to be our 2nd rounder coming back to us from the Petry trade

 

[Gaylord Q Tinkledink]

Does Drew O'Connor have speed, a menace in the corners, physical, great in front of the net ? Any of those, or some ?

 

[Sideline]

Does Drew O'Connor have speed, a menace in the corners, physical, great in front of the net ? Any of those, or some ?

He is fast, ok on the walls, and not soft, but I wouldn't call him a physical menace.

 

[Empoleon8771]

Does Drew O'Connor have speed, a menace in the corners, physical, great in front of the net ? Any of those, or some ?

He has great speed and is pretty good all around IMO. Probably just a nice 3rd liner but nothing more.

The smart thing for the Penguins to do would be to play him with Crosby, inflate his production and get a strong return for him at the deadline. But seeing how they're not doing that, they'll probably just get like a 3rd for him from a contender wanting some extra cheap depth.

 

[HockeyVirus]

Dubas is such a moron, goes to a team wanting more control and isnt even allowed to fire the coach.

He got what he wanted, which was to be able to lobby his ideas to ownership directly without going through someone else (I.E Shanny). No one said they had to listen to him. Most GM's around the league need to operate within the guidelines of the owners. It is clear the ownership group is nervous about what the market is like post Crosby and trying to keep cash flowing as long as possible.

Genuinely, given the Penguins history between cores where they almost moved, could the franchise survive a 15 year rebuild like the Sabres? That is why the owners don't want to tear it all down because even if you hit on 100% of your top end draft picks, you are still 7 years away minimum from starting to come out of the rebuild because it will take a few seasons to draft enough players AND a few seasons for them to develop after.

Dubas is an idiot because this is his vision of making the Penguins competitive when he is clearly over his head there, not so much because he is still being controlled by ownership.

 

[Gaylord Q Tinkledink]

He has great speed and is pretty good all around IMO. Probably just a nice 3rd liner but nothing more.

The smart thing for the Penguins to do would be to play him with Crosby, inflate his production and get a strong return for him at the deadline. But seeing how they're not doing that, they'll probably just get like a 3rd for him from a contender wanting some extra cheap depth.

He is fast, ok on the walls, and not soft, but I wouldn't call him a physical menace.

If they trade him what's the cost ?

Habs will likely have to send Pezzetta, or Harvey-Pinard back. Both are at the end of their contracts.

If the pens wanted both to have bodies, take 'em, but neither costs much salary wise.

What pick(s) would the pens be looking for ?

 

[Sideline]

If they trade him what's the cost ?

Habs will likely have to send Pezzetta, or Harvey-Pinard back. Both are at the end of their contracts.

If the pens wanted both to have bodies, take 'em, but neither costs much salary wise.

What pick(s) would the pens be looking for ?

Before the trade, I was confident Eller was with a 2nd and optimistic that maybe O'Connor could get a 2nd too.

Since I was off market for Eller, I think O'Connor is in the 3rd rounder range.

 

[Spearmint Rhino]

50% retention we can do much better than that. And if anything between both teams happen, starting point would have to be our 2nd rounder coming back to us from the Petry trade

2nd would be a hard pass. Take a look at what Burns got going to the Canes, spare parts and a 3rd with almost $3MM retained, this is on the premise Letang is also only waiving to go home so it’s not a bidding war. Could maybe add a 5th similar to the Eller deal.

 

[SEALBound]

Pens firesale and are gifted McKenna in the 2026 draft

Book it

From your mouth to God and Uncle Gary's ears.

 

[Empoleon8771]

2nd would be a hard pass. Take a look at what Burns got going to the Canes, spare parts and a 3rd with almost $3MM retained, this is on the premise Letang is also only waiving to go home so it’s not a bidding war. Could maybe add a 5th similar to the Eller deal.

That $3 million retained brought Burns down to about $5.25 million. If the Penguins are retaining $3 million on Letang and having him at a $3.1 million cap hit, they're getting far more than that.

If he'd waive, I could see Letang at his full $6.1 million salary to Montreal for a cap dump and a 3rd. But there's zero chance that the Penguins use one of their retention slots and eat that much money on Letang just to get a 3rd rounder back.

 

[Spearmint Rhino]

That $3 million retained brought Burns down to about $5.25 million. If the Penguins are retaining $3 million on Letang and having him at a $3.1 million cap hit, they're getting far more than that.

If he'd waive, I could see Letang at his full $6.1 million salary to Montreal for a cap dump and a 3rd. But there's zero chance that the Penguins use one of their retention slots and eat that much money on Letang just to get a 3rd rounder back.

Don’t really have a cap dump that works, Armia and Dvorak are UFAs at year end and can’t imagine you’d touch Gally or Anderson (Or you shouldn’t anyways). If he’s willing to hit the open market yes he probably gets something better from a team competing now.

 

[Gaylord Q Tinkledink]

Before the trade, I was confident Eller was with a 2nd and optimistic that maybe O'Connor could get a 2nd too.

Since I was off market for Eller, I think O'Connor is in the 3rd rounder range.

Pezzetta/RHP New Jersey's 3rd (becomes a 2nd if Allen plays 40 games and the devils make the playoffs and a 2026 5th (Montreal)

Similar to the Eller deal just with a body coming back.

Then the pens can tell Pezzetta/RHP to run Markstrom and potentially get a 2nd out of it

 

[Gurglesons]

Don’t really have a cap dump that works, Armia and Dvorak are UFAs at year end and can’t imagine you’d touch Gally or Anderson (Or you shouldn’t anyways). If he’s willing to hit the open market yes he probably gets something better from a team competing now.

Letang for Gallagher or Anderson and a 3rd is fine with me.