PHN Daily: Guentzel Trade News & Reaction; Deadline Dominoes Fall

Jake Guentzel finally is off the NHL trade market. The Pittsburgh Penguins have sent him to Carolina for a handful of assets, one of them being winger Michael Bunting, in a deal was announced late Thursday evening. It’s not known if Guentzel was at PPG Paints Arena a few hours earlier, but most of his (former) teammates were definite no-shows for a 6-0 loss to the Washington Capitals. With the deadline set for 3 p.m. today. Guentzel might not be the only guy who suddenly becomes eligible for membership in the Penguins’ alumni association.

Dealing with Guentzel’s impending departure clearly was difficult for the Penguins, and the way they played against the Capitals did nothing to improve their collective mood. The same surely was true if any of them bothered to check the out-of-town scoreboard, because just about every team the Penguins are chasing in their near-hopeless bid to get back into the Stanley Cup playoffs gained ground on them. This means the Penguins’ already-microscopic prospects of qualifying for the postseason got even smaller.

Although Guentzel was the most prominent player available heading toward today’s deadline, the Penguins’ trade wasn’t the only one executed on Deadline Eve. Those other moves included Nashville picking up Anthony Beauvillier from Chicago, Washington sending defenseman Joel Edmundson to Toronto and Colorado getting Brandon Duhaime from Minnesota.

And, yeah, the race for the final playoff berths in the Eastern Conference continued, although the Penguins look as if they might get lapped by the rest of the field.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: The Penguins got a package headlined by a potential first-round draft choice and winger Michael Bunting from Carolina in return for Jake Guentzel and defenseman Ty Smith.

Evaluating the less-than-overwhelming return Kyle Dubas got from the Hurricanes for Jake Guentzel.

Kris Letang said the Penguins “didn’t show up” for what became a 6-0 loss to Washington at PPG Paints Arena. Lucky them. That means they weren’t subjected to the same torment as the 17,093 fans who actually witnessed the game were.

Jake Guentzel’s co-workers spoke fondly of him after the game. And they did it in the past tense, even before the trade was announced.

Former NHL player Nick Kypreos wrote a column for the Toronto Star looking back on some of the personnel moves Kyle Dubas made during his time as GM of the Maple Leafs. Suffice to say, Kypreos is not a fan.

Here’s a pre-deal look at what the Carolina Hurricanes could have offered in a trade in a trade for Jake Guentzel.

In his final time on the ice with his Penguins teammates, Jake Guentzel participated in the club’s game-day skate.

NHL trade deadline, news & National Hockey Now

Philadelphia Hockey Now: The Flyers’ surprising march toward a a spot in the playoffs continued with an improbable 2-1 victory at Florida, courtesy of a game-winner by Garnet Hathaway with 21.2 seconds to go in regulation.

Colorado Hockey Now: The Avalanche are loading up for a run at another Cup, as GM Chris MacFarland bolsters his lineup with a pair of trades.

Nashville Hockey Now: Predators GM Barry Trotz knows all about forward Anthony Beauvillier, who he acquired from Chicago Thursday, after coaching him on Long Island.

Florida Hockey Now: Here’s the flip side of Philadelphia’s improbable victory over the Panthers. It was a throwback to some dark days for the Panthers.

Calgary Hockey Now: Did Flames GM Craig Conroy get a better return from Vegas for defenseman Noah Hanifin than some might believe? Here’s the lowdown on defenseman Daniil Mirmanov.

Boston Hockey Now: The Bruins celebrated their 2011 Cup-winning team by shredding the Maple Leafs at TD Garden.

New Jersey Hockey Now: Timo Meier’s hat trick carried the Devils past St. Louis, 4-1, to keep New Jersey’s flickering playoff prospects alive.

San Jose Hockey Now: The Sharks made the first of what could be several deadline deals, sending Anthony Duclair and a draft pick to Tampa Bay.

NHL.com: Hours before they humiliated the Penguins, the Capitals sent defensive defenseman Joel Edmundson to Toronto for a couple of draft choices.

TSN: A collision with Boston’s Brad Marchand knocked Matthew Knies, the Maple Leafs’ talented young winger, out of Toronto’s defeat by the Bruins. There’s no word on the nature or severity of his injury.