"One of the most difficult decisions": Kyle Dubas on Jake Guentzel's trade from Piitsburgh Penguins

Despite all the expectations, it was tough to witness the trade that saw forward Jake Guentzel and defenseman Ty Smith leave the Pittsburgh Penguins for the Carolina Hurricanes. In exchange, the Penguins acquired forwards Michael Bunting, Ville Koivunen, Vasily Ponomarev, Cruz Lucius, and conditional draft picks.

Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas expressed the difficulty of parting ways with Guentzel when speaking to reporters:

“The decision to trade Jake Guentzel, with his contract set to expire this off-season, was one of the most difficult decisions that I have had to make in my time in management.

"In my first season with the Penguins, it has become quite clear why Jake means so much to his teammates, all Penguins staff, and the City of Pittsburgh.

“Jake’s competitiveness, tenacity and spirit, combined with his talent have produced some of the greatest moments of this era of Penguins hockey.”

Guentzel's departure marks the end of an era for Pittsburgh fans.

Guentzel has scored 22 goals and 30 assists, totaling 52 points in 50 games this season. Throughout his tenure with the Penguins, he has accumulated 466 points across 503 career games. Notably, Guentzel played a key role in the Penguins' Stanley Cup victory during the 2016-17 season as a rookie, contributing an impressive 21 points in 25 playoff games.

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Pittsburgh Penguins traded Jake Guentzel after 6-0 loss

The Washington Capitals dominated the struggling Pittsburgh Penguins with a commanding 6-0 victory, marking the Penguins' fourth loss in five games. After the game, star forward Jake Guentzel was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes, signaling Pittsburgh's shift toward a younger roster for the upcoming season.

Despite Guentzel's absence due to an upper-body injury, Sidney Crosby praised his contributions to the team, including their Stanley Cup win in 2017.

“I think he did everything he possibly could in his time here,” Crosby said to reporters.

Meanwhile, in Washington, Alex Ovechkin achieved another milestone by surpassing Paul Coffey on the NHL's career scoring list with his 840th career goal.

Charlie Lindgren's commendable goaltending performance earned him a shutout, while Tristan Jarry struggled and was pulled after allowing four goals. The Capitals' depth was evident as young players like Hendrix Lapierre and Ivan Miroshnichenko contributed to the scoring.

With Ovechkin leading the charge, Washington could ascend the steep climb and make it to the playoffs this season.