Crosby bothered by Guentzel deal
Sidney Crosby doesn't seem all that thrilled about one of his favourite teammates being traded.
The Pittsburgh Penguins shipped Crosby's lontime winger Jake Guentzel to the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday and the disappointment was all over the captain's face during a media session after a 6-0 pounding at the hands of the Washington Capitals.
The Cole Harbour native is notoriously competitive and knows losing his most productive linemate pretty much clinces another playoff miss this year and casts serious doubt on the team's ability to compete for a Stanley Cup in the next few years.
At 36 years old, Crosby's best years are behind him so he was at a loss when asked to describe the message Penguins management wanted to send with the latest move.
"I don't know," a visibly bothered Crosby told reporters. "That's probably a better question for them."
Crosby has always been steadfast publicly in his desire to finish his NHL career in Pittsburgh but the Penguins also missed the playoffs last year and have an aging team built around Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang and Erik Karlsson. Those players are all in the twilights of their career and take up a considerable amount of salary cap space, which makes it difficult for management to add immediate quality support around them.
With that in mind and Crosby's own career window getting smaller every year, seeing the team unload in the middle of a playoff race hit him differently compared to other years.
"I think the trade deadline's always a little tough but I think the circumstances — yeah, it weighed a little heavier," Crosby said.
The Penguins are 10 points out of a wildcard spot in the Eastern Conference with just 19 games left on their schedule. They've also lost four of their past five games, so when asked if he still felt the Penguins could turn it around in time, all Crosby could offer was: "I hope. That would be great."
"It's a new experience for sure," he added.
The Hurricanes acquired Guentzel and defenceman Ty Smith for forward Michael Bunting, prospects Vasily Ponamarev, Chaz Lucius, Ville Koivunen and two conditional 2024 draft picks — a first-rounder and fifth-rounder. None of the players going to Pittsburgh in the deal have anywhere close to the 29-year-old Guentzel's credentials as a scorer. He produced 466 points in 503 games with the Penguins.
"Just a great teammate, great guy," Crosby said. "You knew every single night what you were getting from him. That's the biggest thing. He's a good person, but as a player, every night he brought it. He was tough. Wasn't the biggest guy but he brought it every single night."
PLENTY OF TRADES BEFORE DEADLINE
As the NHL trade deadline came down to the wire Friday, the Montreal Canadiens dealt one of their three goalies they had in their rotation.
Montreal traded Jake Allen to the New Jersey Devils for a conditional third-round draft pick, which can become a second-round pick depending on how many games Allen plays with the Devils. The Canadiens will retain 50 per cent of Allen’s salary.
The 33-year-old Allen only played in 21 games this season with the Canadiens as they carried three goalies, including Samuel Montembeault and Cayden Primeau. Allen posted a 6-12-3 record with a 3.65 goals-against average and a .892 save percentage.
A lot of NHL teams added grit for their post-season push.
Pat Maroon was dealt from the Minnesota Wild to the Boston Bruins, while former Buffalo captain Kyle Okposo was moved from the Sabres to the Florida Panthers. Each were traded for draft picks.
Buffalo also traded veteran defenceman Erik Johnson to the Philadelphia Flyers for a fourth-round pick in 2024.
New Jersey shipped sniper forward Tyler Toffoli to the Winnipeg Jets for a 2025 second-round pick and a 2024 third-rounder.
Washington forward Evgeny Kuznetsov, looking for a fresh start after off-ice problems saw him go through waivers, heads to Carolina for a third-rounder.