Kyle Dubas goes against Sidney Crosby’s wishes ahead of trade deadline!
And he apparently does not care about upsetting his captain!
HockeyFeed
Now that Elias Lindholm has been traded from the Calgary Flames to the Vancouver Canucks, Pittsburgh Penguins’ Jake Guentzel might have just become the biggest trade bait out there.
However, there are still conflicting reports on whether general manager Kyle Dubas will pull the trigger on him. The fact that Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos reported on Thursday that the star winger rejected a contract of about six years, worth around $8,5 million per season should get the Penguins to realize that Guentzel will not settle for a lower-cost deal in order to avoid free agency. This could mean a trade - even if it means that Dubas will probably upset his captain Sidney Crosby.
According to Josh Yohe of the Athletic, Dubas keeps working on a possible Guentzel trade even if it means upsetting Crosby and head coach Mike Sullivan.
“From what I’ve been told, Dubas isn’t afraid to trade Guentzel, even if Crosby and Sullivan would prefer to keep him employed in Pittsburgh,” Yohe writes. “If Dubas believes a new contract simply isn’t in the cards, I believe he’ll trade Guentzel before letting him walk for nothing.”
The Penguins made it clear that they are attempting to give it one last go with the famed trio of Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang in their lineup despite having missed the playoffs last season for the first time since Crosby’s rookie campaign of 2005-06. However, it sounds like Dubas will not pass up the opportunity for a significant return in a Guentzel trade. We all saw what the Lindholm trade provided in assets in Calgary. Guentzel, who is a pending unrestricted free agent, could fetch a draft pick, a prospect, and an NHL-ready player on the market. He has been tremendous for Pittsburgh, putting up 22 goals and 27 assists for 49 points in 46 games, just behind Crosby in points total on the team with 50.
Now that Guentzel has reportedly turned down a massive offer from the Penguins, don’t be surprised to see if Dubas attempts to move him, even if it means Crosby might be crossed with him.
However, no one can blame Dubas from looking at the very real possibility of moving Guentzel for a great return, especially with this added amount of uncertainty and a rebuild looming…
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