Crosby: 'I don't know' what message Pens sent with Guentzel trade

Sidney Crosby had very few answers when asked about longtime linemate Jake Guentzel's trade from the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday night.

"He's a great player, great teammate, a friend," Crosby said following the Penguins' 6-0 loss to the Washington Capitals. "I think he did everything he possibly could in his time here. Just a privilege to play with him for the course of that time. Some great memories. That's all I can say."

Crosby wasn't yet sure of the message Penguins management sent to the team with the move.

"I don't know," he said. "That's probably a better question for them."

Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas said trading Guentzel "was one of the most difficult decisions" he's ever had to make as an executive.

Pittsburgh shipped off Guentzel and defenseman Ty Smith to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for Michael Bunting, Vasily Ponomarev, Ville Koivunen, Cruz Lucius, and two conditional picks.

A pending unrestricted free agent, Guentzel had spent the last eight seasons with the Penguins after being selected by Pittsburgh in the third round of the 2013 NHL Draft. His 219 goals in 503 games since his debut in 2016-17 are the second most on the Penguins behind only Crosby, while his 466 points are the third most.

Guentzel helped Pittsburgh win the Stanley Cup in 2017.

"I think the trade deadline time is always tough, but I think, given the circumstances, yeah I'd say it's a little heavier," Crosby said.

The rumors surrounding Guentzel's future were pervasive heading into Thursday's clash, and Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan said all that noise had something to do with his team's lackluster performance.

"These guys are human," he said, per team beat reporter Michelle Crechiolo. "As much as we preach stay on task here and focus, obviously I have to believe some of that had an impact on what went on the ice tonight. It's not an excuse. We still need to do our jobs."

Veteran defenseman Kris Letang, meanwhile, said his squad "didn't show up."

"That one's tough to explain. ... There's nothing going on, no energy, no passion, nothing," Letang said.

The Penguins are now eight points out of a wild-card spot and currently sit in seventh place in the Metropolitan Division with a 28-25-8 record. Though Pittsburgh's fight to enter the playoff picture gets even harder without Guentzel, Crosby is still keeping his fingers crossed for a quick turnaround.

"I hope," he said. "That would be great, obviously. Tonight's not gonna be the kind of game that's going to do that, but yeah, I hope so."

Next up for the Penguins is a clash against the Boston Bruins on Saturday.