The NHL Trade Deadline has come and gone, and Penguins fans are not feeling very confident following Friday’s deadline.
Following a 6-0 loss to the Washington Capitals, the Penguins finalized a trade with the Carolina Hurricanes involving Penguins top forward Jake Guentzel. The trade sent Guentzel and minor league defenseman Ty Smith to the Hurricanes in exchange for forward Michael Bunting, prospects Ville Koivunen, Vasily Ponomarev and Cruz Lucius, and conditional 2024 first and fifth round draft picks.
Guentzel is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer. Guentzel played all 503 games of his career with Pittsburgh, spending most of his time on the top line with Captain Sidney Crosby. He became Crosby’s most productive linemate during his time in Pittsburgh. Guentzel has 466 career points, including 219 goals and 247 assists.
On Friday afternoon, Penguins General Manager Kyle Dubas made a few more deals with other Eastern Conference teams.
The Penguins acquired a fourth round pick in the 2027 draft from the New York Rangers in exchange for defenseman Chad Ruhwedel.
A few hours later, the Penguins dealt goaltender Magnus Hellberg to the Florida Panthers in exchange for goaltender Ludovic Waeber and a conditional 2025 seventh round draft pick.
GM Kyle Dubas addressed the media on Friday after the deadline had passed. He stated how the “improved cap flexibility” they will end up having will be a key part of retooling and improving the team during the upcoming offseason.
The Penguins played their first game after the trade deadline in Boston on Saturday afternoon. This game included Michael Bunting’s Penguins debut, where he played on the top line alongside Sidney Crosby, essentially slotting into Jake Guentzel’s old spot.
The game remained scoreless through the first period, but a push by the Bruins gave them a 3-0 lead by the end of the second period. The Bruins would go on to win this game 5-1, with the Penguins’ only goal coming from defenseman Kris Letang in the third period.
The Penguins returned to Pittsburgh on Sunday for a matchup with the Edmonton Oilers. The big name on the Oilers everyone came to see, Connor McDavid, wasted no time once the puck dropped, scoring 68 seconds into the game.
The Oilers remained dominant throughout the entire game, adding three more goals and shutting out the Penguins, finishing the game with a 4-0 victory.
The Penguins’ current 3-game losing streak has greatly tarnished their current playoff push. As of Monday, they sit eight points out of a playoff spot.
The Penguins will travel to Ottawa on Tuesday to play the Senators and then return home to face off against the San Jose Sharks on Thursday at PPG Paints Arena.
