But then you add the metro team tax which isn't here, can get a very similar package from a western conference team

Those are the wrong prospects. They are looking for blue chip prospects. Like morrow. Not guys that max out as bottom six players.
Also this price does not get him extended. If he is coming extended then the price goes way up. Especially to a division rival .

You know nothing about the Hurricane's prospects. Jackson Blake projects as a top-6 forward if not a top-line guy (he's top 10 in PPG in NCAA). Drury is probably a middle-six kind of guy who has legit NHL experience.

The division tax is probably an extra 2nd or 3rd

No s**t I am a pens fan? Do you know everything there is to know about other teams and their prospects?
So I reviewed Scott wheelers rankings since he is a professional without extreme bias. No problem swap out Drury for Nikishin and you're closer to a fair deal.

There is no freaking way in hell that you get Nikishin. That's probably a top-10 prospect for a pending UFA which is a rip-off. At best you'll get Scott Morrow but it'll probably be more like Kouvinen or Blake.

The Penguins would have interest in Necas. Necas is younger than Guentzel, scores goals, assists in goals scored, and is a top forward the Penguins need.

You must have missed the part where it comes with an extension ? and that jake is a top 5 LW in the league for 5 straight years? But go ahead and keep your prospects that have a chance of becoming good. I'm sure another team values proven success over maybes and ifs

I can definitely see Morrow included in this deal with Blake but Nikishin is essentially untouchable. If Drury were to be replaced in this trade, Necas would be the most I’d give in terms of “young NHLer” and even that would be counterintuitive. I get that it comes with an extension but the Penguins don’t have too much leverage in terms of negotiations; the chance that he extends with PIT during an offseason where the cap goes up by $4m-$5m is unlikely and I don’t think Dubas loves the idea of getting nothing back for his only tradable asset right now.

Sure it might come with an extension but he's not a game breaker and that feels like the player that would Alexander Nikishin be dealt for. Morrow might be a negotiable piece.

its been stated that there is no extension with the deal for Guentzel, which confirms to me that the canes are not in on the bidding.

His only tradeable asset? Huh? There are literally 10+ other guys on this team that he can trade and get pieces back?
Also he has all the leverage in the world? I don't get where that is coming from at all? They still may even resign jake?
Hes a top 5LW in NHL and it is a sellers market. I don't think he has any lack of leverage whatsoever. Especially with teams like VGK that suddenly have all the cap space in the world

Uh he is literally the definition of game breaker? Go look at how clutch he is . Especially in the playoffs where he is a point per game with a huge sample size. He is in 3rd place in the last 5 years for LW game winning goals? ?
Where did you hear he isn't a game breaker?

Forgot about Reilly Smith (and maybe Rakell and Marcus Pettersson) but name a couple more. Malkin, Crosby, Rust, Letang (and Karlsson to an extent) aren’t going anywhere and Graves, POJ, your entire bottom six have minimal return value. Guentzel is the main piece you have to give yourself a youth injection right now and re-signing him doesn’t strike me as a rational move that Dubas is leaning towards (not to mention, Guentzel already said he wants to test the market regardless).

Oh Jake said he wanted to test the market now ?? When and where was this ?