Penguins president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas yesterday detailed the complex series of circumstances that enabled him to complete the acquisition of defenseman Eric Karlsson, and he also clarified the Jake Guentzel injury situation.
The factors that came together to pull off the three-team trade for Karlsson included the Drew O’Connor contract agreement that avoided arbitration, the Guentzel injury, a no-trade contractual detail that allowed him to trade Jeff Petry back to Montreal, and a host of financial maneuvers.
Dubas said Karlsson helps the Pens stay in contention for the Stanley Cup while the team can continue to slowly build for the future.
Dubas said the veteran Penguins already believed they could contend for the Cup, so getting Karlsson doesn’t send any special message.
Dubas believes he has the group he wants to take to training camp, although if he does make a move, it will be a free agent, not a trade.
Jake Guentzel ended last season with an ankle injury and he and the Penguins tried to let it heal on its own, but Dubas says that as the summer wore on, the ankle did not respond, so they decided to get more aggressive.
Dubas says replacing Guentzel on Sidney Crosby’s line in the early part of the season will be an interesting process. He’s looking forward to sorting it out in training camp.
The Pens’ GM says that the lighter schedule at the beginning of the season actually works in their favor, so he expects Guentzel to miss as few as five games.
Penguins training camp begins six weeks from tomorrow. The season starts October 10th at PPG Paints Arena against the Chicago Blackhawks.
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