Penguins Trade: Dubas Flips, Deals Luke Schenn to Winnipeg Jets

LAS VEGAS — So much for the glowing words of praise about looking forward to Schenn’s physical defense and leadership in the room to mentor young defensemen. Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas seemed to walk back his Wednesday night response and traded Schenn to the Winnipeg Jets Friday afternoon.

Winnipeg gave the Penguins a 2026 second and 2027 fourth-round pick.

The Penguins acquired Schenn from the Nashville Predators Wednesday when they traded Michael Bunting. The centerpiece of the deal for the Penguins was 27-year-old center Tommy Novak.

“We moved (Vincent Desharnais) to San Jose in lockstep with the Nashville trade because we feel that Luke’s defensive play, character, leadership, toughness, and spirit are what we need here to help push our program through this phase and preserve our culture and standards as we work to return to contention,” Dubas replied via email to the five Pittsburgh beat outlets, including Pittsburgh Hockey Now.

Adding to the drama of the trade, Nashville GM Barry Trotz didn’t have a glowing recommendation for Novak Thursday night.

“When he was a fourth-line, league-minimum guy and scoring while getting some sheltered minutes, that fit him just fine,” Trotz told reporters. “When you move up the lineup, it’s harder to find your space and be productive. If you want to move up the lineup and get paid more, there’s more responsibility.”

The Penguins traded Anthony Beauvillier to the Washington Capitals earlier Friday morning in exchange for a second-round pick. As of this writing, those are the only Penguins moves for Friday.