What We Learned from Kevin Hayes Acquisition

Mike Sullivan’s influence on personnel moves can again be seen with the trade for Kevin Hayes. Sullivan has long coveted Hayes and believes he can still be a useful player. What makes the acquisition even more interesting is Pittsburgh under the former regime looked into a complicated for Hayes via trade with the Philadelphia Flyers at the 2023 trade deadline. They get him 15 months later with a different General Manager.

Dubas Friday hinted at this type of possibility being out there for the Penguins on the market.

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The Blues were desperate to move off Hayes before July 1 basically from a cash standpoint as some in the industry feel Hayes was so unproductive last season, the Blues still got off a little too easy to move off his contract. Hayes is due a $1.25 million signing bonus on July 1 and is owed $10.5 million in salary over the next two seasons.

“This is just a situation where it wasn’t working,” To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

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Buying Soft Retool in 2024-2025?

Rumblings coming out of the Penguins organization for a few weeks now is Dubas and his inner circle had shifted their focus to upcoming season being a patient year, no high risk moves, cross your fingers that some young guys emerge, try to keep accumulating picks/prospects over the next year via trades of second/third tier veterans on the roster and 25-26 being the year to be aggressive again.

And Dubas comments Friday at the draft completely steered into that direction.

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That said, the strategy leaves a lot of questions unanswered and some inside the industry are still in the mode of we’ll believe it when we see it that this will actually be a year the Penguins operate as it being a soft retool. If Dubas truly goes that route it’s not a universally supported route. Many holdovers in the organization believe you always owe it to To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

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Free Agency Buzz

— It will be a major upset if Guentzel signs anywhere but Tampa: The last 48 hours momentum has been all in the Tampa Bay Lightning’s corner to sign Jake Guentzel. Many teams believe the Guentzel camp essentially gave Tampa a verbal commitment Saturday morning he would be signing with the Lightning on Monday. That said, some teams as of late Saturday night were still trying to get back into the mix, including the Dallas Stars. Despite the Lightning being a major front runner to sign Guentzel, word is the Stars looked seriously into acquiring Guentzel’s rights late Saturday to give them a day to try to sway Guentzel on Dallas.

— Stamkos Buzz: Little over 24 hours to free agency, the Penguins have To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

— DeBrusk Latest: Unlike so many free agents, as of Saturday Jake DeBrusk did not have a deal 100% locked in. His situation was still fluid. DeBrusk was the one pending free agent To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

Penguins, Isles in mix for Arvidsson?: [hide] Another 30 year old+ addition? Would be on a short-term deal, but rumblings out of Vegas Saturday had the Penguins, Islanders among four teams in the mix to sign winger Viktor Arvidsson Monday. Penguins are said to be very high on Arvidsson as a short term option.[/hide]

PO Latest: Buzz among agents is the Penguins have something lined up for a left handed defenseman via trade or free agency that has led to some questions surrounding P.O. Joseph’s future in Pittsburgh. To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!