Penguins Veteran Player Voices Frustration as Trade Deadline Approaches
Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson has expressed frustration in the team as they appear to be missing the playoffs yet again.
The Penguins are currently last place in the Metro Division with a 21-24-8 record, good for 50 points through 53 games.
There is still time to turn things around considering how tight the standings are overall, but the team has not been making any progress and at this point, the writing is kind of on the wall.
Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas knows this too and is planning accordingly.
According to the Athletic's Josh Yohe, Dubas is planning on being an 'agressive' seller at the trade deadline this year.
"Kyle Dubas wants to aggressively sell. He might not entirely get his wish until this summer simply because it's a great unknown whether this will be a busy trade deadline around the league."
This probably will not come as a surprise to many fans of the team.
After all, the Penguins have been stuck in the bottom half of the standings for a few years now and things only appear to be getting worse.
Last season, the team came close to the playoffs thanks to a late surge, but it was too little too late.
This year that doesn't even look like a possibility. The team is more likely to win the draft lottery than they are to make the playoffs.
This lack of success is starting to weigh on the players as well. Erik Karlsson, who joined the team last summer, expressed his frustrations to Yohe.
"It's been two years now, and I haven't really been able to get anything going. It's frustrating. We've been a very volatile team. We've got to get something going. And now the problem is, other teams around us or ahead of us in the standings have started winning."
Could Karlsson find himself on the trade block this year? His contract would surely be difficult to move but his services would be appreciated by a contender.
Furthermore, he may have better trade value than Marcus Pettersson according to one NHL insider.
That being said, a Karlsson trade would be complicated and likely would require a third team to complete. Either way, be sure to keep an eye on Pittsburgh as the March 7th trade deadline approaches.
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