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Pittsburgh Penguins' Erik Karlsson, right, Lars Eller, center, and Reilly Smith celebrate Karlsson's overtime goal against the Vancouver Canucks in an NHL hockey game Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2024, in Vancouver, British Columbia.
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Analysis: What’s next for the Penguins at the NHL trade deadline after dealing Jake Guentzel?

AP

Analysis: What’s next for the Penguins at the NHL trade deadline after dealing Jake Guentzel?

Penguins fans and the rest of the hockey world were impatiently waiting to see what Kyle Dubas and the team did with Jake Guentzel at the trade deadline.

We finally got that answer Thursday night when the Penguins and the division-rival Carolina Hurricanes agreed to a massive trade featuring the star winger.

The Penguins landed forwards Michael Bunting, Ville Koivunen, Vasily Ponomarev and Cruz Lucius, plus conditional 2024 first-round and fifth-round draft picks. The team also sent Ty Smith away to the Hurricanes as part of the trade.

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Dubas and the Penguins are probably not done wheeling and dealing ahead of Friday’s 3 p.m. trade deadline. Other valuable veterans could be moved as the disappointing Penguins act as deadline sellers for the first time since 2006.

Jake Guentzel #59 of the Pittsburgh Penguins scores a second period goal against Ilya Sorokin #30 of the New York Islanders at UBS Arena on December 27, 2023 in Elmont, New York. The Penguins shutout the Islanders 7-0.
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Dubas declared last month that he had no intention of trading Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang or Erik Karlsson. He said he still sees them as core players. They all have full no-movement clauses and could block any deal even if Dubas suddenly changed his mind. The same applies to Bryan Rust.

Several other Penguins have some form of no-trade protection, even if it is a list of just a handful of teams. They include Marcus Pettersson and Rickard Rakell, a pair of quality players with terms on their contracts. There has been no external buzz about either player, particularly Pettersson, whom the team likes a lot.

So which Penguins could be traded before Friday’s deadline by Dubas, who is trying to make the team younger while also creating more financial flexibility?

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Reilly Smith is definitely one to watch. Dubas’ first major addition as president of hockey operations, Smith has not met expectations in Pittsburgh. But he has picked up his play in recent games and is nine months removed from a Stanley Cup run. His resume and rounded skillset still appeals to some contenders.

NHL teams hunting for forward help were all stuck in a holding pattern as they waited for the Penguins to pick a trade package for Guentzel. The runners-up for Guentzel included the New York Rangers, the Vancouver Canucks and the Vegas Golden Knights. Maybe one or more will turn their attention to Smith?

Dubas has already established an open line of communication with the general managers for those teams and also has an understanding of which players and picks they are willing to move. That might grease the wheels of another deal.

In addition to scoring the Penguins another draft pick or prospect, trading Smith will get his contract off their books. It has one year left at a $5 million salary.

Seattle Kraken defenseman Adam Larsson (6) sits up as his helmet comes loose and Carolina Hurricanes left wing Michael Bunting (58) looks on during the first period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, Oct. 19, 2023, in Seattle.
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Contending teams are always looking for trustworthy, two-way centers this time of year. Pittsburgh has two of them, Lars Eller and Noel Acciari, who are in their 30s and under contract beyond this season. Eller is the likelier of the two to move. He has had a good season and has just another year left on his deal.

Backup goalie Alex Nedeljkovic and right-shot defenseman Chad Ruhwedel are two players who could be of use to a team coveting depth at those positions.

With the Penguins eight points out of a playoff spot entering Thursday, Dubas will keep working the phones to see what other moves he could pull off to better position them for the near future. He wants to get them back to contention while Crosby is still playing at star level, which is obviously easier said than done.

Matt Vensel: mvensel@post-gazette.com and @mattvensel on X

First Published: March 8, 2024, 5:33 a.m.
Updated: March 8, 2024, 5:38 p.m.

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