Canes: done.

Canes say no chance

the penguins aren't accepting any of these underwhelming deals

These are all very bad for the pens. If this is all we are getting then I’d rather keep him and risk him walking. For example in the Vancouver trade, you got the wrong Elias Pettersson in the deal.

I can't see Detroit being in on Guentzel.

They can't afford to sign him after they get Seider and Raymond done.

Kane too.

Plus they're not Cup contenders.

Considering that Nadeau could potentially become the Canes version of Guentzel, Canes pass. Not giving up 2 top prospects for a rental

It is so weird to me that canes fans would rather fizzle out in the playoffs year after year instead of giving up lottery tickets for superstars . Wouldn't you rather win a cup? Nearly every hockey pod I listen to says they think the canes just need an elite finisher. Which they sorely lack. And which is exactly what Jake is.
Why not actually try to win for a change?
What do you think fair value for a top 5 LW for 5 consecutive seasons is?

You could add Crosby or Malkin and Vancouver would still decline if that was the other Elias Pettersson. Let's at least try to be realistic.

Pittsburgh literally has nothing in their organization that would be a great enough addition on top of Guentzel to return the other Elias Pettersson lol.

The time certainly has come for the pens to pay the price for being the best team of the cap era lol. Gonna be some lean years ahead no doubt about it but that comes with the territory of being the best

Ehh, they've got the hardware to show for it... But the last 2-3 years of buying have been pretty senseless. It was clear they were a step behind the pack. That doesn't necessarily mean you've gotta blow it up. But probably should keep your top picks and start restocking the cupboards.

If wings can extend him, this is fair

$27M in cap to give Seider and Raymond new contracts, and then among the UFA pool is Kane/Sprong/Perron/Ghost.

Guentzel to Detroit was dumb the minute it came out of Elliotte's mouth. To the point that even he turned around and admitted it didn't sound like something Yzerman would do.

A competent GM would have had this team winning at least another cup. But Hextall drove them right into the ground.
No GM stops buying when you have two (possibly even three) generational talents on the roster. Somehow Sid is still in his prime and practically dragging this team into the playoffs by himself.

LOL. Pittsburgh wasn't winning a Cup in 2021, 2022, or 2023.

And no, Sid isn't "practically dragging this team into the playoffs by himself". They're currently 10 points out of a spot.

1) they definitely have a good shot at another cup with a GM that doesn’t sabotage the team . You can think what you want but hextall ruined the last chance they had.
2) it’s okay to admit you hate the pens and don’t watch their games . Most writers / insiders have been saying this about Crosby . Especially lately . They may be 10 points out but they have multiple games in hand on every team in front of them and their two best wingers are out hurt. So yes . Crosby is in fact nearly dragging the team into the playoffs by himself. If the power play could produce they would probably be in the playoffs .

It's OK to admit that the Pens were not competing with the Tampas and Colorados of the world anymore, too.

See I don’t really agree. This pens core did beat the same Tampa core on the way to the cup in 17’ . With a gm that wasn’t actively trying to hurt the team they’d probably fair a lot better . Hiring an ex flyer who GMed the flyers into the ground was the most baffling move I’ve seen as a pens fan. Not counting all the horrific deals hextall made of course .
Imagine where they would have been keeping players like Tanev , marino, McCann , and Matheson , instead of turning nearly every single one of them into negative assets. And then spending the cap on very bad players (grandlund, rutta, Petry, kapenen, carter)
Hextall was so bad he made Peter Chiarelli look good.

When you realize that 2017 and 2021 are four years apart, you'll start to understand.

When you realize how good 87, 71, 58 , and 59 are you’ll start to understand

Oilers decline. I think all teams decline. Who the hell is trading their top 2 prospects for a 3 months if Guentzal, who’s never played away from Sid and who’s currently injured.

Let’s take a look at the last couple years of playoffs shall we? How many teams went all in and spent a lot of high end assets for rentals? Boston, out in the 1st round. Rangers, out in the 1st round. Leafs, surprisingly out in the 2nd round. The list goes on. Meanwhile, look at Carolina and Florida, and frankly Vegas as well. They all went deep, and they didn’t go all out on the flashy rentals. There is no correlation between buying big with deadline rentals and increased success in the playoffs.

Canes fans don’t want the Canes to fizzle out in the playoffs. But overpaying for a playoff rental, and then getting burnt more than you would have otherwise hurts a bit more.

When you realize how old they are, you'll start to understand.

Tell me more though about Hextall's piss poor management from 2021-2023 is the reason you haven't made it out of the first round since 2018.

They’ve been the best team of the last 17 years 😂 no crap they are old . But they are still playing at a very high level . Sid is at mvp level . When you actually watch some games , you’ll start to understand.

Such a high level that they're 10 points out of a playoff spot. Very great. The greatest. Cup contenders if not for the dastardly Hextall.

If Dubas can rectify Hextall's errors, Sid and Geno can probably keep these guys in the Cup conversation into the early 2040s.