Welcome to Part 2 of the January Mailbag. (Part 1 is here.)
I realize we're less than six weeks away from the NHL deadline, and I can see how excited everyone is for this opportunity.
Now let's tackle trade negotiations.
Is Karlsson tradeable or will you stick with him? @toff2day
That's a very aggressive question.he has never been that bad. The analytics community seems to think he's a mix of Bobby Orr and Paul Coffey, and the only one wrong is Ryan Graves. So there you have it.
But let's be honest. Objectively, Carlson was disappointed. He's not a disaster, but he's not the player the Penguins thought they would get in August. I can assure you that many within the organization are unhappy with his play. He had been particularly helpless for the past month. His decision making is really bad so far.
Could the Penguins trade him? I doubt it. Do they want to do that too? I don't think so. They want to make this happen. Clearly things aren't working out yet.
What would a realistic return for Guentzel look like? — @npv708
As you can imagine, we have a lot of questions about Jake Guentzel this month.
It remains to be seen whether Penguins GM Kyle Dubas will sell Guentzel before the deadline. I think that's a possibility and a lot depends on how the Penguins perform. I would be surprised — not shocked, but would be surprised — if the Penguins traded Guentzel if they had a good chance of making the postseason.
But you want to know what his worth is. A first-round pick will be part of the return. After that, it's a little vague according to people I've talked to. I can't help but think the Penguins need a first-round pick, a high-end prospect, and a young, decent, NHL-ready player. That may sound like a lot to ask of a player who is set to become an unrestricted free agent, and it is. But Guentzel is a hell of a player. The Penguins have plenty of leverage here, as they can choose to give him a new contract at any time.
The Penguins could easily acquire a first-round pick for his accomplishments. The question is how much more they can receive. Only one team is overcharged. With so many teams competing for the playoffs, it's likely to be a seller's market. That said, Jake is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, so I don't think his trade value is as high as the Penguins would like.
When do you expect Jesse Puljujarvi to arrive in Pittsburgh? Where do you think he would fit in the lineup? — @yaboypd
From what I hear, he's playing pretty well at Wilkes-Barre. I have to think I'll see him sooner or later. When healthy, the forwards I think are lineup locks are Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Guentzel, Bryan Rust, Rickard Rakell, Riley Smith, Drew O'Connor, Lars Eller, and Noel Acciari.
There is room for Puljujarvi and Samuel Poulin if they are actually ready to contribute. Count me among the people who want to see the two of them take shots. There's a pedigree there.
Four years after the start of the rebuild, shouldn't we trade all of our core members? We haven't won with our core since 2017. @RobKirtz
Rob, first of all, they all have no-trade clauses. The Penguins are also in the business of selling tickets, so I don't think trading Crosby is a good idea. Speaking of which, do you think it makes sense to trade Crosby? Do you think the Penguins can get a return that would justify it? Does the idea of seeing him skate in a different jersey appeal to you?
I understand what you're saying. Were the Penguins too loyal to Malkin and Kris Letang? perhaps. But remember, they took a huge pay cut. Considering their respective salaries, they're still competent, especially Letang. The problem is that the rest of the team isn't very good anymore. The decision to part ways with Brandon Tanev and Jared McCann in the same week was a disaster that the Penguins have yet to recover from.
In retrospect, the decision to trade Mike Matheson and John Marino was also a nightmare.
I don't blame former GM Ron Hextall entirely. Although the damage he did was significant, his decision to keep Malkin and Letang at reduced rates wasn't terrible.
If they trade Jake, they're giving up. If so, would you move Jarry, Rust, and Riley? If Jake goes, how many others will go? — @AKAFloyd
I don't know if trading Guentzel means they will “give up,” but it probably will. That's why I doubt it will happen, although I accept that all possibilities are possible.
And yes, if you're going to completely rebuild now, why keep Smith? Or Lars Eller? Tristan Jarry and Rust have no-move clauses, so I doubt they'll trade either way, but I get your point.
If Dubas can only complete one move by the deadline, what is his biggest need to address? @GuiddyMatthew
If the Penguins go into full buyer mode (which is possible), I think they need to address the blue line. I wouldn't have said this a few months ago. But we can't ignore Ryan Graves' continued struggles.
In fact, Graves played OK in the third pairing with Chad Ruhwedel, but hasn't shown any suitability to play with Karlsson or Letang. Therefore, it is essential to find a player who can play in the top four on the left flank. PO Joseph is not that kind of guy. I love Jon Ludvig and think he has a lot of potential, but he's not in the top four yet.
It's hard to justify breaking up the Letang-Marcus Pettersson pairing. It is wonderful. Finding a player who can play alongside Karlsson and get the most out of him is going to be huge.
Of course, that will come at a price, and it's probably a price the Penguins can't afford.
This is more of a comment than a question. Game 7. We always talk about Fleury's diving saves. But just a second or two before that, he made an incredible save against Zetterberg. Obviously the dive save was more photogenic, but I think Zetterberg's save was better. — @akconley
Congratulations on having the most random look at a mailbag this month. But did you know? you're right. Watch the replay.
Those Red Wings were very good, producing three good looks in six seconds while the Penguins defended their ultimate defense. Marc-Andre Fleury made two outstanding saves there, but Henrik Zetterberg's save was lost to history.
It was a really great series.
Good evening, Josh, here's one thing for you. What does Jeff Jimerson do after the national anthem? Does he go home right away? Do you want to watch some games? Would you like to come to the press box for a brownie? I've always wondered. — @undercardluke
I never saw him in the press box. I heard that after work, he takes his tickets and watches the games with other citizens.
I had never thought about it before. I meet him before every game and always say hello. Next time, I'll just ask. stay tuned.
Do the players ever discuss politics? I don't ask them what their opinion is, but is it ever said? It's interesting because there are so many different nationalities. — @Yutasukibam
They may talk about politics among themselves, but not when the media is present. If you're at all familiar with things, it's not hard to decipher what political leanings players have when certain topics come up. But I can't say that the players have ever approached me about politics, and we don't talk about things openly when reporters are present.
Any thoughts on Pittsburgh acquiring and supporting a PWHL team in the future? — @007 McMan
Why won't Pittsburgh support a new team? I think it will happen soon. And I hope so. Pittsburgh is a great sports city. The more hockey teams, the better.
What was the best Golden Age WrestleMania match? — @sds807
I know there are wrestling snobs who pick random matches between lightweights from 15 years ago. But for me, the golden age of wrestling was the turn of the century. And at WrestleMania in 2001, Stone Cold Steve Austin faced off against The Rock in a packed Astrodome in Texas. Austin won, turned heel, and shook Vince McMahon's hand to seal the deal. Pro wrestling reached its peak in that moment, but it has continued to go downhill ever since.
These are two of the three most popular wrestlers of all time, at the height of their power. And this match lived up to expectations, as it was probably the main event of the greatest wrestling PPV of all time.
(Jake Guentzel Photo: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
