So the trade deadline is behind us and I don’t believe the Penguins came closer to solving any of their short or long term goals. While I wouldn’t expect either to be completely solved , that isn’t reasonable, I do think there should have been more done.
Ultimately, the Penguins trade deadline was selling off Jake Guentzel for a quantity laden return and moving Chad Ruhwedel for a 4th round pick which was a decent move. Reilly Smith, Lars Eller, and Alex Nedeljkovic remain on the team. With Guentzel gone the path forward being competitive is bleak. You aren’t replacing him. You can put me in the camp that does not believe he will be re-signing with the Penguins after the season. He’s going to get a taste of competitive hockey again and has the freedom to go wherever he wants. Even with the human ties he has in Pittsburgh it will be a tough sell. I’m not even sure Dubas has the appetite to do it if Jake was amenable.
So what now? Personally, I would love it if they lost every game for the rest of the year and got into the lottery because we know how that can turn out. I do not expect the players to do anything other than play at their best. I would never expect them to tank. I do think the management team and the coaches could go with a roster and lineup that would facilitate more losses and I think they should.
Part of that would be giving guys like Sam Poulin an extended look. I’m not particularly high on him and have never been, but this seems like the perfect opportunity to just let the WB/S tweeners play with absolutely no consequence. The games literally don’t matter the rest of the way. If they are anything like the game against Washington (also not a good team) then this is going to be a real slog. So get a head start on learning more about players who haven't had a look. Don't waste the beginning of next season doing it.
If you’re looking to throw the fans a bone for sticking with this product in 2023-24 go and sign Phil Kessel for the rest of the year. He didn’t sign with the Canucks before the 3PM deadline and is therefore ineligible for a playoff roster. That isn’t a problem in Pittsburgh. If Phil doesn’t play at a good level, who cares? Losing is winning anyways.
Much of this is just a waiting game at this point. The only objective I need to happen is to get Sidney Crosby over the point per game barrier to keep his streak alive. There’s really nothing else to play for.
Anyways, they play the Bruins at 3 today.
Thanks for reading!
Pittsburgh Penguins Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»