Coming from a Canes fan, I would be most excited about Pono. Lucius and Koivunen have upside, but I think both of their NHL ceilings will be really hampered by poor skating unless they can get it together in that department. Pono is a more complete player, has an underrated shot, and can get started contributing right away in Pittsburgh. Hope y'all take care of him!

Koivunen seems like he could mayby get around the poor skating. His results in Liiga are intriguing, and ya im excited to see Ponomarev hopefully we see him next game with a few other bodies getting moved out

Decent prospects. For a rental looking for a hefty payday Dubas did well. Bunting is also a player who can mesh well with Crosby. I could see him putting up 60-70 points next year on his line.

This trade is a C grade but only because of the lack of a guaranteed 1st and Bunting. What the many fans trashing this don’t get is we did not have a need or roster spot for Morrow. That kid will need NHL ice time in a couple years and we will still be watching Tanger and EK drag themselves around the rink for 40 plus minutes. We needed young forwards and we did get them. I just wish Nadeau was one.

Boy do I hope you are right because right now Bunting for me is an L. I don’t like the “energy guys”. You need more than that to play with 87. Sheary was an energy guy and he did well at first but didn’t have the skill to stick.

Bunting played well with Matthews and Marner. He has skill, he has a nose for the net. He's Hyman-lite. I think he can easily put up 25 goals 65 points playing with Crosby.

I think the biggest issue was this insistence by Dumbas for a roster player bringing back Bunting.
Which frankly was something the penguins didn't need.

If anyone had any doubts Dumbas isn't the right guy to be GM, leave no doubt now.
But it is what it is at this point.
I think the best part of it was that CAR probably isn't resigning Jake. So if they want him back they can always try to resign him knowing what he wants.
I think reality has to come down for Jake. He wants an 8 year deal, he's not going to get that. He is looking at a 5-6 year deal being offered and the ava not being the 9-10 he wants.
Once he goes to FA that will sort itself out. My guess is he the pens could put in a 6 year 7.5 offer and you might see him back. As I don't see him easily getting a 7 year 10 mil deal.

See I really liked Hyman’s overall game and for a guy like that to make it on a top line they have to play well without the puck and when the opponent has the puck. My concern with Bunting is his play when the other team has the puck and his own play off the puck. I do like him as a net front presence kind of guy for the PP though and we have struggled badly there.

My bet is only 1 of these trade pieces become an useful everyday Nhl player.

I like the Bunting add, hes more than just a energy guy. Hes a pesky 50 pts guy, Hornqvist esque

We kinda do need a Bunting type forward, with Guentzel gone and Smith leaving we have no LW and Bunting fits the two-way forward sully likes

I honestly don’t think this is a fleece by Carolina. The Canes have one of the better prospect pools in the league and they are one of the few contenders that can leverage their pool instead of sending 1sts. Ever since Don Waddell became GM of the Hurricanes, they’ve never parted with 1sts, unless it’s for controllable players (Skjei, KK) and they’re so good at drafting they don’t have to and are able to get creative.

From a Pens perspective, you have a bottom 5 prospect pool and you’re trying to retool, not rebuild. Players, prospects > picks. I like to think of it as Guentzel getting 2 2nd Round Picks (one being conditional 1st) an early 3rd and a late 3rd, early 4th. These three prospects will all be in Pittsburgh’s Top 5 and all have a legitimate chance at being in the NHL. Getting a 2nd, B+, B, and B-/C+ + prospect isn’t shabby.

they didn't need Bunting. They could have addressed their wing via FA with that cap space.

In the end this looks like a GM just wanted a guy he was comfortable with instead of doing the hard work of actually GMing.

anyway, I don't find myself really impressed with what Dubas has done. He doesn't look like a guy I would trust to do a rebuild let alone a retool on the fly.

He was gifted a generational talent in TOR, and couldn't even come close to getting it done, hard to see him doing any better in a much harder situation in PIT.

The prospect aren’t bad, but the lack of a first really concerns me. Dubas usually can do better

I wanted Bunting last summer in FA, It's a good add. yes it may be someone hes familiar with , but nothing wrong with that

There is plenty wrong with GM being attached to guys instead of aiming for the future.
It is only in his head that he thinks he can still fix this team.
I don't think Crosby can be looking at this and be to happy. He sure didn't look it when reporters were talking to him.
He's got some 38 year old aka almost his same age, never did anything fouling up his team. I'm pretty sure at this rate he's saying, why am I not the one making decisions.
The worst part of it is that he didn't get the other things he needed to get done, done.
He didn't move out Smith. He didn't move out Eller or Acciari.
Some of those bodies had to go and now was the best time to do it.
The odds of turning this team around now are slim to none. They better hope Yager can play next year and well, because they don't have the cap to bring in any real help.
They needed to move Smith or Rakell in order to have that.

Bros acting like ownership will sign off on a rebuild with the core still producing

why move out Smith and Eller if the value isn't there?? He wasn't going to retain on them and rightfully so. Zucker fetched a 6th not retained. He's better off moving them at the draft when teams have more cap space.\

Bunting remains a good add

Bunting hasn't done anything to be judged as good or bad yet. But what they didn't need to do is take him back over say adding better prospects.
I don't know why you are over here clinging on to him being a "good add" he's played 1 game, and his line got destroyed finishing a -3 on the night.
So it's really not in anyone's place to claim it's a good or bad move. What I do know is they could have used 4.5 mil in cap space at the deadline to bring in a FA and got a better prospect back.
But Dumbas clinging onto his guy lead to him being the main piece of the trade.

The whole core producing thing is really in question isn't it. I me lets be honest, Letang is a shell of himself, the turn overs and bad play is so evident. Like the pass right to McDavid tonight.
It's really hard to look at him and say the play hasn't declined. It clearly has.

Malkins play has declined drastically. He's getting slower and slower. Those 2 years on his deal will be his last two.

The only one of the "core" left playing at a high level is Crosby. As much as we'd all like to say he hasn't slowed you can tell he is slowing. He's not the guy he was at 27. Nothing wrong about that but that's just reality. Pens fans need to get a grip on the fact that he can't carry the team on his back the whole way anymore. He needs help.

Fact is they needed to open up space in both the cap and roster. Going into next year with Eller and Acciari isn't in this teams best interest. While I think Smith is still a good player and could bounce back in a contract year, if they could move him out without retaining they should have. Rakell is probably the hardest to move and frankly it's such a bad contract, he's probably un moveable. Another brilliant move by Hextal.

There is no easy fix for this team. It's needs to be stripped down and rebuilt.
While they can't move their "core" guys facts are 50% of this roster if not more should be moved and replaced by next year.
They were bad signings and acquisitions to begin with. Part on Hextal, Carter and Rakell. Part on Dubas, Smith, Eller, and Acciari.
The mess of what is left on the roster at least doesn't effect the cap, but they aren't good enough to win and should be recognized as the AHL level players that they are.
As it stands right now the only player the team will be rid of next year is Carter. by default. That's not a good sign.

This team needs some youth added to it. Those 4 right there are a good place to start in order to get cap and replace them.
As it is this team will be the oldest team in the league again next year as they are hanging onto these old players who's days are over.

Dubas really lives rent free in your head eh.

Bunting was a good add, is a good add and will still be a good add next season. We will have more than enough money in FA to add to this roster.

Acciari is a perfect 4th liner and ill be glad to keep him, Hes a very valuable penalty killer. He just can't be playing with the likes of Jeff Carter (THX Hextall) and Jansen Harkins (THX Sully).

And i do agree the teams needs to be stripped down a rebuild but FSG won't sign off on it as long as the core is still producing although it isn't like in their prime. Nothing Dubas can really do about it.

Only arguable bad Signing Dubas had is Graves. Eller has been alot better than Expected, Acciari is a good 4th liner and who wouldn't of added Riley smith for a 3rd?? and again why move Eller and smith at the TD is the value isn't there. Dubas is better off moving them at the draft for a better return and Honestly is keep Eller unless the return is pretty good and have him center a 4th line with Acciari on his RW and a new LW

you are really a pens homer.
Bunting has done nothing to be either a good or bad add so far. You can stop trying to make judgement on a trade that just happened. You sound like every idiot who said Rakell was a good trade.
How's that going now?
Acciari is not a perfect 4th liner, he's old, slow, and frankly not producing any points. I don't see that changing next year he's what 33 or something.
Eller is in the same boat, they need to move past these old players.

Graves is the one signing Dubas did that was actually halfway decent and the stats show that. You seem to think he was gong to come in and be a 1LD, we'll he didn't get paid like one because he isn't one.
He's played at the level of an average 2LD which is what he is. Of all the moves he made that was the only one I would even give a fair rating.

You are clutching pearls saying things like he's better off moving people at the draft. It's like people saying they would move Jack Johnson at the draft. Only to find out they were not moveable.
If teams really wanted Eller or Acciari TDL was the perfect time to do that. But he couldn't move them because no one wanted their term then or at draft.

Maybe stop being a homer and be a bit more realistic about where this team really is and how the "core" isn't producing and the rest of the team really does need to be stripped down and replaced.
You over here acting like any of this mess can be salvageable or that FSG doesn't understand that which is obvious to everyone.
You can still keep Crosby Malkin and Letang and gut the rest of the team. Those things aren't mutually exclusive.

Mayby if you actually read what I said instead of being blinded by Dubas hate, you would see that I agree that the team should be stripped down and rebuilt but FSG (Ownership) won't let that happen if the core is still producing which they are wether you like it or not. Sid is PPG, Karlson, Letang and Geno have all been solid and that makes FSG say no to a rebuild and theres nothing Dubas can do, so he is forced to try and compete when he should tear it down. FSG wants to contend, mayby now they will realize that may not be possible or mayby they don't and want to try and milk the core dry.

Teams were reported to be interested in Eller and Smith at the TD however, they wanted Dubas to retain which he wasn't willing to do and righfully so. Come draft, teams will have more cap space and there will be more interest in both of em if Dubas choses to move em which is very likely for Smith.

Rakell is having a bad season ill give you that and hasn't played up to his contract, but to say it was a bad trade is just false. It's arguably one of 2 positive trades Hextall did. 60 PTS in 82 games for a 2nd and Calle Clang is a good trade for a team that was looking to contend. Hes just been underwhelming this season, but so had 70% of the team.

I like the Bunting add what you want me to say. I wanted him last summer in FA bad and was bummed that he went to Carolina.

a 4th line isn't there to put up a elite number of pts, their role is to Kill penalties, block shots and not be giving up goals. Acciri does that, hes just stuck with 2 useless plugs.

What Dubas really needs to do is Fire Sullivan, the teams needs a new voice but Sully got extended before Dubas got here and FSG probably won't like a coach being fired before he coaches a game on the contract extension

why do you keep trying to put it off on FSG, do you think they are blind?
No the core is not "performing well" outside of Crosby and Rust, the play has been subpar for the lot of them. It's one of the reasons why they can't win.
Malkin is a +/- 0 this year. In other words, his line isn't winning. He use to be a ppg player who could carry a line on his back, he's far under that this year and it's clear he's slowed down.
Letang has been a comedy of errors in the D zone all season and EK right with him.
That core, isn't going to lead this team to anything without real help and everyone knows that.

So you can sit here and say, "oh I agree the team should be torn down" but when you follow it with. blah blah blah... detached from reality opinions it's really not worth anything.

FSG knows the team needs torn down and they also know that tearing it down and keeping 4 or 5 guys isn't mutually exclusive.

As for firing Sullivan, I'm not going to claim to know what FSG will do. Frankly I don't think FSG knew what the hell they were doing when they took control and the hiring for Hextal and Burk are a serious indicator of that. It doesn't really matter if Sully has an extension or not, in the end that isn't going to be the reason he's here or not here. The direction of the team is going to decide that.

You are the only one blinded. You can't blame the current team on anyone but Dubas. Outside the core he inherited. There is only 1 player here left from Hextal next season, only 2 on the team right now
(Rakell and Carter). Carter should be riding pine but Sully keeps playing him.

Only 2 players on the team from JR in MP and DOC.

You take out Crosby, Malkin, Letang,,Rust and Jarry. As being the "core" left over before both.

The whole rest of the team is Dubas. That's 11 skaters and back up goalie are all on Dubas right now. It's his team right now. They are playing like crap and have offered 0 help to an aging core.
You can blame anything else you want but it's on him. It was his job to surround the core with better help after Hextal... and he built out a bottom 10 team making moves that didn't help the team at all.
We can all say now the Smith trade was a bust. They should have never helped VGK out taking Smith if anything they should have charged them a 1st to take that contract or let VGK sit on it.
The FA moves of making the team older and slower were unwise at best. Acciari isn't some great 4th liner. He's as bad as the people playing with him. The best 4th lines are energy lines who flip the puck the other direction not play in their own end all the time. Acciari has offered none of that.
Eller is old as dirt and just as slow.
The rest of the filler bodies on the bottom are a real sign of Dubas not knowing how to build a roster.
At some point you have to realize that a large percentage of this roster is on him. It's not blind hate, it's actual recognition for what he did that made the team much worse.

ya Bunting has ended up being a pretty good add, so i guess i was right to liking him being in the trade

apparently you haven't been paying attention over the years.
Remember when Carter was a good add,
Or how about Zucker....
Oh then there was Rakell.....

a 17 game sample doesn't mean anything.
Nor does it take away from the fact that taking Bunting lessened the return on the prospect which was my whole point to begin with, when the team needs to get younger.

But go on......

Carter was a great add, the 2 year extension for a 50 year old wasn't great
I still like rakell he started off slow but once he returned from injury hes been good
Zucker just got hit with injuries sadly but when he played he was good, he just didn't play often which sucked and made it a bad trade

Bunting is also 28 which is prime years for a forward, not like hes a 32+ year old, but I love the hate you have for him and Dubas haha