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No more patience needed, Penguins are cooked this year |
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On Friday against Seattle and on Saturday against Calgary the Penguins showed signs of life and controlled stretches of play. In both contests they found different ways to lose in regulation. Against the Kraken they were unable to beat a goalie who hasn’t had a shutout in two years and has struggled mightily in those two years. In Calgary it was three unanswered third period goals by the Flames that sunk the team.
These two games should erase any doubt about the team’s playoff potential, even from the most positive of fans. There isn’t enough runway left to have games where you get zero points. Kyle Dubas has remained patient throughout his first year in charge and I don’t think his patience yielded the results he was looking for. It has been as underwhelming of a season as there could have been.
I would be selling off as many depth players as possible at this point in time. They aren’t good and teams give up assets for bad players all the time. The Leafs just traded a third for Ilya Lyubushkin. There are deals to be had out there.
Lars Eller, Noel Acciari, Jeff Carter (if he wants), Drew O’Connor, Jansen Harkins, Chad Ruhwedel, Pierre-Olivier Joseph, and Alex Nedeljkovic should all be shopped. They are entirely replaceable. There’s no reason for the team to hang on to them for the sake of hanging on to them. Just start collecting draft picks as volume plays a big role on how lucky a team can get in their drafting.
Jake Guentzel is as good as gone in my estimation. I feel like the extension would have been signed by now. Per Elliotte Friedman the Penguins are looking for actual prospects and not draft picks in exchange for Guentzel.
They are not interested in a late first round pick, which I agree with. Those picks don’t have as much value as the perception that surrounds them. In the same segment Friedman said the Penguins won’t even ask Bryan Rust to waive his no movement clause. He will be a Penguin for the foreseeable future.
Reilly Smith is an obvious trade candidate. He’s been a bust for the team since a promising start. I can’t speak to whether or not he wanted to be in Pittsburgh or not, but he plays like he doesn’t. Very uninspired season from a player who I think had more to give. He has a paltry ten goals playing predominately with Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby. It just wasn’t good enough. I can’t blame Dubas for making the bet. It was a logical trade. It was ultimately a whiff. They should be able to find a suitor for Smith and should by the time the deadline comes.
The only drama with the season is if the Penguins will have a top ten pick this year or not. They are currently 23rd in a 32 team league which means they would hold onto their 2024 first round pick and give the Sharks their first round pick in 2025.
Kyle Dubas has a tenure defining four months ahead of him with no easy solutions.
Thanks for reading!
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