Pens GM Has Another Move Blow Up In His Face
General manager Kyle Dubas took some big swings during his first offseason with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Dubas added Stanley Cup winner Reilly Smith and former Norris trophy winning defenceman Erik Karlsson to the franchises' aging roster as they looked to go on another Stanley Cup run.
Fast forward the calendar to February, Pittsburgh has a record of 23-20-7 on the season, sitting seven points back of the final Wild Card position behind the Detroit Red Wings.
The Penguins battle for a playoff spot got even harder after Wednesday's loss against the Florida Panthers. Star winger Jake Guentzel suffered an upper-body injury during the third period.
The 29 year old, is scheduled to be a UFA this off-season after wrapping a five year deal with an AAV of $6M.
Guentzel has been producing at close to a point per game pace for most of his career and he has carried that performance into his contract year. He has scored 22 goals and 52 points in 50 games this season.
Insider Chris Johnston revealed that Guentzel will be out up to four weeks making the timeline for his return past the March 8th trade deadline.
There is no doubt this will hurt the pending UFAs trade value with the deadline looming. Holding onto Guentzel to try and maximize his trade value appears to be another blunder in a series of moves that haven't worked out for the Penguins since Dubas took over.
| POLL | ||
Which general manger is the worst in the league? | ||
| Kyle Dubas (Pittsburgh) | 132 | 52 % |
| Mike Grier (San Jose) | 60 | 23.6 % |
| Steve Staios (Ottawa) | 33 | 13 % |
| Kyle Davidson (Chicago) | 29 | 11.4 % |
| List of polls | ||
