How do we feel about the trade now? (Jake unlikely to resign in CAR)
Reports say Jake is not happy with what he is currently being offered. This has to make us feel better in terms of what we got for him being a rental. Right?
Personally I was okay with it from the beginning. Didn’t make sense to overreach for him with a shake up coming in a few years. We got a reasonable return for a rental. Plus I’m liking Bunting – that immediately help calm the nerves about losing Jake.
KissmySPAC
But he said earlier he liked it there and was having fun. He might not like the number, but he liked the place.
NeenerNeaner
I’m just glad he probably won’t stay in the division. He was my favorite player on the team, but I understand it didn’t make sense to re-sign him, and he was ultimately going to do this whether we kept him or not. Bunting looked great, so any additional returns that pan out are a bonus.
PattyKane16
Gonna end up looking like highway robbery if even one of those prospects pans out. On top of that, while Bunting is not the same player offensively as Jake, his style of play is clearly something we’ve been missing since Hornqvist left town. Him in the lineup adds something that Jake couldn’t bring.
Mouths-of-Decadence
We easily won that trade
Ok-Buffalo1273
As of now, we’re winning on the trade. He could have walked in the offseason and we’d have gotten nothing. I know some will say he wanted to stay in Pittsburgh, but the reality is as much as he wanted to stay, he also wants to financially secure his family as much as possible. That’s a fact for all pros and there’s nothing wrong with that.
And now for my standard Sully bash:
Bunting has been amazing and isn’t a replacement for Jake but is a critical addition to this team. I am however concerned that it’s only a matter of time before sully castrates him and makes him play a shadow version of the game we like/need.
BeansTheCoach
It was always a good trade. As I said months ago, you literally cannot lose a trade where the player you traded wasn’t going to resign for you anyways.
Fireryman
With all the reports it was the right decision.
Dubas wanted a roster player and got one. He didn’t get the 1st but instead he got multiple prospects.
I actually consider this trade like us getting 4 or 5 2nds in value for 3 months of Guentzel. I take that deal.
Substantial_Base_557
It is what it is. If he wants to take a pay cut and come back sure, but I don’t see it happening. If hes smart he’ll try and get as much as he can.
PhantomJB93
I think it’s pretty clear at this point that the Penguins always knew Guentzel had zero interest in anything but the highest possible dollar amount with his impending free agency and acted accordingly. A lot of fuss has been made out of his camp about Dubas not offering him a contract but why would they even waste time doing that if they knew the only way they could fit him under the cap was if they could get him at a discount and he wouldn’t consider that? Not one piece of news about Guentzel’s impending free agency that has come out since last offseason has indicated for one second that he wants to be anything other than a hired gun for the highest possible dollar amount, wherever that may be. Not that there’s necessarily anything wrong with that, but him basically forcing his way out of Carolina now after he fit like a glove there pretty much confirms that his only concern is the zeroes on his check and not what kind of team, situation, location, etc. he could be playing for.
ClubAquaBackDeck
Great before, even greater now.
Zerocool_6687
I was fine with it at the time. Bunting was solid and we could see one new regular, possibly 2, enter the line up as early 20 somethings next year to add depth. Jake was likely gonna test the market. He’s a very good player and I’ll admit, played at a higher level than even I expected after he left. Says to be that the contract would be kind of hard to meet without taking money needed to fill some real holes.
CynicWalnut
Are there any other players like bunting still floating around? I know that playstyle is getting less and less common.
TheResidentEvil
seems fair to us
SumGreenD41
We got something rather than getting nothing not trading him. It’s obviously a win
mihelic8
The biggest loss is the Jake shake at milkshake factory
EmiliusReturns
We got the most out of this trade that we were gonna get for him and since the scuttlebutt was that we couldn’t afford to re-sign him, I’m happy we walked away with assets instead of letting him go to free agency for nothing.
We got some strong prospects out of this trade which this team definitely needed, and Bunting is a solid player.
PossumLodgeWordGame
It’s fine
Tampammm
Bunting can’t offset Guentzel obviously. But Bunting is a unique, one-off player that is an asset to the team.
So, under the circumstances, we did the best we could I think.
TomiZos0
As I said when the deal was done. We lost Jake but got a really good player Michael Bunting plus we got Ville Koivunen (a top guy in Finnish League), some russian guy and rights to C. Lucius.
Bunting was immediately a factor here. The prorspects look really good. We would have lost Jake anyway so the return is more than I could expect.
HoldMyBrew_
Crosby and Jake both take 6.5ms for the culture
YourS_E_N_S_E_I
I always liked the trade, and I was still very sad Jake was gone. But realistically he was gone regardless at the end of the season anyways.
ael5053
Listen. If the goal was to “maximize the return” for Jake, then we should have been shopping him a year ago. That obviously wasn’t the right move either, but I’m struggling to understand what people think teams were willing to give up for a Jake on an expiring contract. Showing my age here, but does anyone remember all the pieces we gave up for Marion Hossa? Me either. Jake’s deal has the potential to be like that, sure. But just like Hossa, he was gone anyways. Oh, by the way, the most valuable piece of THAT trade ended up being Pascal Dupius… Point is, we don’t know how good or bad the deal is yet. But whatever it is will be better than the absolute zero we would’ve gotten when Jake walks to Chicago or wherever for 6 years at 11 million per
wakeandjake59
Hope he goes to chicago
PotatoPete26
If he re-signs here that might make it the best trade Dubas has made so far.
Dense_Delay_4942
Anyone else wonder why resign (retire) and re-sign (new contract) are almost spelled the same and make you do a double-take every time…
Cheeks_Klapanen
The exact same way as I did before tbh
Zarktheshark1818
Would’ve loved to keep Jake but I understand it and agree with the decision. I liked the trade from the start. I wasn’t even high on Bunting but he’s exactly the type of player we need so willing to admit i was wrong there. I liked it bc I like the prospects. I like Kouivenen A LOT (highest ceiling imo) and Ponomarev as well (highest floor, almost guaranteed to be at least a bottom 6 regular) and I don’t know much about Lucius but seems like he has potential as well. Imo we got Bunting (probably also worth a 2nd rounder himself) and 4 2nd round picks (all the prospects and the 2nd) or at a minimum 3 2nd rd picks (Ponomarev, Kouvinen, and the actual 2nd) and a 3rd (Lucius) for 3 months of Guentzel and he’s not even going to resign. I’d call it a win. Doubled our number of NHL potential prospects in one trade…
mrblakesteele
Wild canes won’t give him what he wants. He was their only person who could carry in some of the playoff games this season
SocratesDouglas
It was always a steal for the Pens. 4 assets for a guy who wasn’t gonna re-sign. They’d be dumb not to take that deal. Coulda got a first and a 5th round pick if the Canes won the Cup too.
Swearblocked
Love the trade, excited for the movie they make about it when:
1) Jake returns to Pittsburgh on a team friendly salary
2) Penguins new assistant coach sprinkles magic dust on the power play and it starts scoring at like 30%
3) Penguins pickup some depth during the year with the extra salary cap space.
4) Pens win Lord Stanley’s cup in 16 games in 2024-2025
dumpholder
Would the canes have done better with bunting over Jake? His work around the goal would have helped against the rangers I think.
burn_bridges
Same way I felt about it at the time. We got a HAUL. Bunting doesn’t have the same high-end skill as Guentzel, but he does fill a needed role on our team we’ve been missing. Plus if even one prospect is a NHLer, it’s a double win (and honestly I could see a few of the guys panning out).
We were losing him no matter what.
Squizza
Ambivalent.
He was highly unlikely to resign with us and I’m not sure he’d make a good face for the rebuilding years.
Only downside was not upgrading the pick to a first.
MenudoFan316
Get ready to be third-rate for the forseeable future.
DufflebagForever
Even better than when it happened.
Fizzyliftingdranks
Jake got to play a handful of extra games, we got bunting and filled the pool. He was never resigning here. Win win.
high-rise
Get ready to learn Vancouverese buddy
PensJerseys_
It’s always been a good trade. People just play too much Playstation and that’s the reason expectations were so high.
Sure, it would have been nice to get more, but that clearly wasn’t going to happen. Add in that Dubas got his guy, I don’t think he cares much what this sub thinks.
gldmj5
I recall some recent reports saying Jake was upset that the trade happened. Does that mean he was willing to sign here? If so, no, I still don’t like the trade. He’s a special player and it’s unlikely the Pens will get equal on-ice value in whatever deal could have kept him here. People seem convinced that a deal was never an option.
JimmyPineapple_
In terms of the “who won the trade” game, this is great. But I couldn’t care less about that game. I was always pretty happy with the return of the Jake trade. I was a little disappointed we didn’t land a 1st round pick, but several solid prospects, a 2nd round pick, and Bunting is a solid return. A solid grade of B.
shred-i-knight
Jake is on the wrong side of his age and while he deserves the bag and will definitely get it based on his value in the near future, I’ll pass on a long term deal as it gives the team a lot more flexibility when they are a lottery team in a few years.
42 Comments
Personally I was okay with it from the beginning. Didn’t make sense to overreach for him with a shake up coming in a few years. We got a reasonable return for a rental. Plus I’m liking Bunting – that immediately help calm the nerves about losing Jake.
But he said earlier he liked it there and was having fun. He might not like the number, but he liked the place.
I’m just glad he probably won’t stay in the division. He was my favorite player on the team, but I understand it didn’t make sense to re-sign him, and he was ultimately going to do this whether we kept him or not. Bunting looked great, so any additional returns that pan out are a bonus.
Gonna end up looking like highway robbery if even one of those prospects pans out. On top of that, while Bunting is not the same player offensively as Jake, his style of play is clearly something we’ve been missing since Hornqvist left town. Him in the lineup adds something that Jake couldn’t bring.
We easily won that trade
As of now, we’re winning on the trade. He could have walked in the offseason and we’d have gotten nothing. I know some will say he wanted to stay in Pittsburgh, but the reality is as much as he wanted to stay, he also wants to financially secure his family as much as possible. That’s a fact for all pros and there’s nothing wrong with that.
And now for my standard Sully bash:
Bunting has been amazing and isn’t a replacement for Jake but is a critical addition to this team. I am however concerned that it’s only a matter of time before sully castrates him and makes him play a shadow version of the game we like/need.
It was always a good trade. As I said months ago, you literally cannot lose a trade where the player you traded wasn’t going to resign for you anyways.
With all the reports it was the right decision.
Dubas wanted a roster player and got one.
He didn’t get the 1st but instead he got multiple prospects.
I actually consider this trade like us getting 4 or 5 2nds in value for 3 months of Guentzel. I take that deal.
It is what it is. If he wants to take a pay cut and come back sure, but I don’t see it happening. If hes smart he’ll try and get as much as he can.
I think it’s pretty clear at this point that the Penguins always knew Guentzel had zero interest in anything but the highest possible dollar amount with his impending free agency and acted accordingly. A lot of fuss has been made out of his camp about Dubas not offering him a contract but why would they even waste time doing that if they knew the only way they could fit him under the cap was if they could get him at a discount and he wouldn’t consider that? Not one piece of news about Guentzel’s impending free agency that has come out since last offseason has indicated for one second that he wants to be anything other than a hired gun for the highest possible dollar amount, wherever that may be. Not that there’s necessarily anything wrong with that, but him basically forcing his way out of Carolina now after he fit like a glove there pretty much confirms that his only concern is the zeroes on his check and not what kind of team, situation, location, etc. he could be playing for.
Great before, even greater now.
I was fine with it at the time. Bunting was solid and we could see one new regular, possibly 2, enter the line up as early 20 somethings next year to add depth. Jake was likely gonna test the market. He’s a very good player and I’ll admit, played at a higher level than even I expected after he left. Says to be that the contract would be kind of hard to meet without taking money needed to fill some real holes.
Are there any other players like bunting still floating around? I know that playstyle is getting less and less common.
seems fair to us
We got something rather than getting nothing not trading him. It’s obviously a win
The biggest loss is the Jake shake at milkshake factory
We got the most out of this trade that we were gonna get for him and since the scuttlebutt was that we couldn’t afford to re-sign him, I’m happy we walked away with assets instead of letting him go to free agency for nothing.
We got some strong prospects out of this trade which this team definitely needed, and Bunting is a solid player.
It’s fine
Bunting can’t offset Guentzel obviously. But Bunting is a unique, one-off player that is an asset to the team.
So, under the circumstances, we did the best we could I think.
As I said when the deal was done. We lost Jake but got a really good player Michael Bunting plus we got Ville Koivunen (a top guy in Finnish League), some russian guy and rights to C. Lucius.
Bunting was immediately a factor here. The prorspects look really good. We would have lost Jake anyway so the return is more than I could expect.
Crosby and Jake both take 6.5ms for the culture
I always liked the trade, and I was still very sad Jake was gone. But realistically he was gone regardless at the end of the season anyways.
Listen. If the goal was to “maximize the return” for Jake, then we should have been shopping him a year ago. That obviously wasn’t the right move either, but I’m struggling to understand what people think teams were willing to give up for a Jake on an expiring contract. Showing my age here, but does anyone remember all the pieces we gave up for Marion Hossa? Me either. Jake’s deal has the potential to be like that, sure. But just like Hossa, he was gone anyways. Oh, by the way, the most valuable piece of THAT trade ended up being Pascal Dupius… Point is, we don’t know how good or bad the deal is yet. But whatever it is will be better than the absolute zero we would’ve gotten when Jake walks to Chicago or wherever for 6 years at 11 million per
Hope he goes to chicago
If he re-signs here that might make it the best trade Dubas has made so far.
Anyone else wonder why resign (retire) and re-sign (new contract) are almost spelled the same and make you do a double-take every time…
The exact same way as I did before tbh
Would’ve loved to keep Jake but I understand it and agree with the decision. I liked the trade from the start. I wasn’t even high on Bunting but he’s exactly the type of player we need so willing to admit i was wrong there. I liked it bc I like the prospects. I like Kouivenen A LOT (highest ceiling imo) and Ponomarev as well (highest floor, almost guaranteed to be at least a bottom 6 regular) and I don’t know much about Lucius but seems like he has potential as well. Imo we got Bunting (probably also worth a 2nd rounder himself) and 4 2nd round picks (all the prospects and the 2nd) or at a minimum 3 2nd rd picks (Ponomarev, Kouvinen, and the actual 2nd) and a 3rd (Lucius) for 3 months of Guentzel and he’s not even going to resign. I’d call it a win. Doubled our number of NHL potential prospects in one trade…
Wild canes won’t give him what he wants. He was their only person who could carry in some of the playoff games this season
It was always a steal for the Pens. 4 assets for a guy who wasn’t gonna re-sign. They’d be dumb not to take that deal. Coulda got a first and a 5th round pick if the Canes won the Cup too.
Love the trade, excited for the movie they make about it when:
1) Jake returns to Pittsburgh on a team friendly salary
2) Penguins new assistant coach sprinkles magic dust on the power play and it starts scoring at like 30%
3) Penguins pickup some depth during the year with the extra salary cap space.
4) Pens win Lord Stanley’s cup in 16 games in 2024-2025
Would the canes have done better with bunting over Jake?
His work around the goal would have helped against the rangers I think.
Same way I felt about it at the time. We got a HAUL. Bunting doesn’t have the same high-end skill as Guentzel, but he does fill a needed role on our team we’ve been missing. Plus if even one prospect is a NHLer, it’s a double win (and honestly I could see a few of the guys panning out).
We were losing him no matter what.
Ambivalent.
He was highly unlikely to resign with us and I’m not sure he’d make a good face for the rebuilding years.
Only downside was not upgrading the pick to a first.
Get ready to be third-rate for the forseeable future.
Even better than when it happened.
Jake got to play a handful of extra games, we got bunting and filled the pool. He was never resigning here. Win win.
Get ready to learn Vancouverese buddy
It’s always been a good trade. People just play too much Playstation and that’s the reason expectations were so high.
Sure, it would have been nice to get more, but that clearly wasn’t going to happen. Add in that Dubas got his guy, I don’t think he cares much what this sub thinks.
I recall some recent reports saying Jake was upset that the trade happened. Does that mean he was willing to sign here? If so, no, I still don’t like the trade. He’s a special player and it’s unlikely the Pens will get equal on-ice value in whatever deal could have kept him here. People seem convinced that a deal was never an option.
In terms of the “who won the trade” game, this is great. But I couldn’t care less about that game. I was always pretty happy with the return of the Jake trade. I was a little disappointed we didn’t land a 1st round pick, but several solid prospects, a 2nd round pick, and Bunting is a solid return. A solid grade of B.
Jake is on the wrong side of his age and while he deserves the bag and will definitely get it based on his value in the near future, I’ll pass on a long term deal as it gives the team a lot more flexibility when they are a lottery team in a few years.