Report: Dubas iced out of negotiations for Penguins' star player

It's deju vu all over again for Kyle Dubas.

The former Toronto Maple Leafs general manager, now president of hockey operations with the Pittsburgh Penguins has his work cut out for him to get the Penguins back into a Stanley Cup contender. Dubas has superstars Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin locked up for at least the next two seasons and he's reportedly in the mix to acquire reigning Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson on the back end. The jury is still out on Tristan Jarry in goal, but Dubas acquired some depth in goal with both Casey DeSmith and Alex Nedeljkovic backing him up.

It remains to be seen, however, what the future holds for star winger Jake Guentzel. The 28 year old is playing on an expiring contract this upcoming season and is slated to become an unrestricted free agent next offseason if he can't come to terms with Dubas beforehand. And here's the thing... according to Penguins insider Jose Yohe of The Athletic, Guentzel and his representatives have thus far refused to negotiate a new contract with Dubas. Yohe reports that, while he doesn't feel there's any ill will from either side, Guentzel and the Penguins have not had a single discussion on a contract extension this offseason.

Yohe did report though that he expects the two sides to come together before the 2023-24 season begins and to negotiate a new deal in the coming weeks/months.

Personally, I think the Penguins should do everything they can to lock up Guentzel for the remainder of his career. Sure, he's 28 years old so the Penguins shouldn't offer up an 8 year deal or anything crazy, but a five or six year deal that essentially factors as a lifetime contract would be wise. The fact of the matter is that so long as Crosby and Malkin are under contract, the Penguins should be doing everything they can to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Add in the fact that Guentzel is by far the best linemate that Crosby has ever been paired with and his re-signing should be a slam dunk. Stay tuned.