Confirmed with Link: Pens trade Eller to Washington

[Empoleon8771]

The funny thing to me with this Eller trade was that people were extremely outspoken in the off-season how they should trade Eller for a 3rd to clear up some of the bodies they have in the bottom-6, and when the Penguins do literally exactly that 15 games into the season, people then complain that Dubas didn't wait longer and didn't get more of a return.

 

[KrisLetAngry]

Couldn't even get that for Guentzel.

Ignores that we definitely got more than a 1st worth.

Is that true? Or did he choose to go the quantity route?

This

The funny thing to me with this Eller trade was that people were extremely outspoken in the off-season how they should trade Eller for a 3rd to clear up some of the bodies they have in the bottom-6, and when the Penguins do literally exactly that 15 games into the season, people then complain that Dubas didn't wait longer and didn't get more of a return.

Agreed. There is definitely some bad actors in this chat who said a 3rd would be fine and now that he got a 3rd and 5th it is not a 2nd.

 

[TooManyHumans]

The bonus is that trading him now makes us worse now and so more likely to improve our draft position. Now keep trading and dump anyone who might have any value.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

I'm just impressed at Dubas' brinkmanship... waiting it out for months until a team finally cracks and meets his asking price... of a third rounder 3 years from now. This guy clearly has no fear staring down the barrel of the gun to make the big deals.

 

[BusinessGoose]

I'm getting convinced Eller asked out
We already know Dubas has zero initiative

Losing him before other dead weight is amazing work

But he still isn't much of a loss

 

[TooManyHumans]

There are no possible big losses for this team (other than on the ice, of course). Suck with him. Suck without him.

 

[AuroraBorealis]

You are acting as if you know what Dubas is thinking and there’s a clear strategy of a long rebuild. Problem is that goes against everything Dubas has said publicly and what he’s been doing up until this move.

Maybe he just took this deal because it was the highest deal he thought he could get and it “met their price” as has been reported. That doesn’t make it a good deal or a strategic coup.

They just re-signed Crosby and committed to him they were going to be competitive. This isn’t a team willing to strip it down. So in that vein, the sooner the pick is the better.

I'm saying nothing more than getting 2027 picks is a good idea, and trying to win a 4th Cup with Crosby is futile.

 

[Pens x]

EK65 has to be next, right? The guy has no loyalty towards the Pens. Dude wanted out of SJ because they suck - the Pens are only one point ahead of SJ.

Harry Potter raised the white flag.

None of the players can be happy with the front office or Sully.

 

[BusinessGoose]

I'm saying nothing more than getting 2027 picks is a good idea, and trying to win a 4th Cup with Crosby is futile.

On the base level, yes, we need as many picks as possible, as you need a shotgun approach.

Drafting is mostly luck outside the top 3. And even then...

But mid late round picks are even more risky. And being years out. It sucks.

But they need more picks. Trade more. This can not be the only thing we do. I'm not even sure it makes sense to wait until trade deadline.

We can not win a SC again. That door really closed after 2021 really. We didn't have the team then, and it's only gotten worse.

 

[Fiji Water]

If you don't have Washington's 2027 3rd round pick, then you're looking for Washington's 2027 3rd round pick

 

[Pens x]

I suspect Dubas is getting calls from several agents, requesting trades. This is a dumpster fire.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

If you don't have Washington's 2027 3rd round pick, then you're looking for Washington's 2027 3rd round pick

We really feel like Washington's 2027 3rd round pick is gonna score a lot of goals for us

 

[The Old Master]

I do wonder if Eller gave the Penguins some sort of indication that he wanted to be moved. He seems like an ultra competitive leader type and I feel like the general apathy this team has wasn't sitting well with him. I figure he still wants to win and this team definitely made him realize it wasn't going to happen here.

i'm sure right now he's a very happy man

 

[The Old Master]

NOW, let's see if Dubas can do something to fix the blueline or find a taker for Tristan Jarry. Then I would be impressed.

I'm sure he's tried

 

[The Old Master]

We really feel like Washington's 2027 3rd round pick is gonna score a lot of goals for us

when its package with our first to move up and get our new no1 center.

 

[WickedWrister]

 

[KrisLetAngry]

EK65 has to be next, right? The guy has no loyalty towards the Pens. Dude wanted out of SJ because they suck - the Pens are only one point ahead of SJ.

Harry Potter raised the white flag.

None of the players can be happy with the front office or Sully.

I have a feeling he will most likely be an offseason / 2025/2026 trade.

He will need a retention spot and we need that for Petterson.

 

[McGroarty2]

EK65 has to be next, right? The guy has no loyalty towards the Pens. Dude wanted out of SJ because they suck - the Pens are only one point ahead of SJ.

Harry Potter raised the white flag.

None of the players can be happy with the front office or Sully.

Would this be a fair trade?

CAR: Karlson @75% retention (7.5x3)
PIT: Orlov (7.75x1)

Pens could move Orlov at trade deadline if out of contention and Canes get someone they had interest in and also replaces Burns next year.

 

[Jaded-Fan]

People complaining about getting a 3rd and a 5th instead of a 2nd on the deadline must think the probability of a 35yo hockey player getting injured is below zero. It was a good trade, done at the right time.

I had even missed the fifth in addition to the third.

A fifth in addition to the third is worth more, and has a better chance of hitting, than a single second round pick.

Two lottery picks >>>> One.

It was a good trade.

 

[Jacob]

Value-wise this is expected. I don't really care the pick is so far out. Actually we have a bit of a logjam now of close-to-the-NHL prospects, like Koivunen, Pono, Broz, Poulin, etc. And there are also a number of guys that are next in that line too like How, Brunicke, Pieniniemi, Ilyin. It's okay to stock up a little longer term.

And just because a 3rd round pick is unlikely to make the NHL doesn't mean it's not valuable. Assuming you still draft well, get a guy that shows good improvement post-draft, you can flip him for a better-than-3rd return. He doesn't have to become Rust, but we got assets for Caputi even though he never became a bonafide NHLer.

 

[EliteGoaltending]

When Dubas first got the job, I was curious and I had some faith in him.

God.. was I wrong.

All Pens recent GM's have died on a Mike Sullivan hill.

 

[Jag68Sid87]

The bonus is that trading him now makes us worse now and so more likely to improve our draft position. Now keep trading and dump anyone who might have any value.

It's a bit of a Catch-22 situation, though. If we keep playing like this, lots of guys won't have the value we want come trade deadline time. Last season, Mike Grier wanted to sell but they were so bad, few players had any value.

Besides, we are not THIS bad. A coaching change would boost this group immeasurably. Think late-season surge in 2023-24 post-Guentzel trade and multiply it by 1,000.

But without that move, we will continue to be middling. We should be looking to make trades involving players for players right now. Everything should be on the table. Struggling players for struggling players should always be available.

This group is simply not good enough, especially with this head coach.

 

[TooManyHumans]

I have given up on the hope that Sullivan will ever be fired. I don't see what could happen to trigger it that hasn't already happened, other than for his contract to finally run out.

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

I don't really have any issue with this one tbh. Value seems about right for a 35 year old 3C. Maybe Dubas could've snagged a 2nd if he waited long enough, but then you run the risk of Eller getting hurt and I don't think there's a huge difference between a mid-to-late 2nd and a mid-to-late 3rd. /shrug

They should be aggressively shopping Petts and Rakell, while talking to EK about waiving or where he'd like to end up--though I think EK is probably an off-season deal.

 

[Pens1566]

Not overstating Eller's ability/importance or anything, but isn't this kind of a tacit admission from the FO that they acknowledge this year is already over (assuming he didn't really ask out that is)???

Unless, of course, you believe that this mgmt team is willing to run someone unproven at 3C.