Few comments:

1. I like the Hunwick trade. 2M is too much to be paying a 7th defensemen, but he'd make an alright 3rd pairing in Arizona.
2. I'm not sure the Pens need someone like Pacioretty, and his value isn't what we'd be giving up in return. There's already a pretty great top-6 group, and giving up Maatta for a 1-yr rental AND a 2nd round pick seems like a high price.
3. I agree that Doughty is an upgrade over Letang. But we've got Letang for another 4 years, and Doughty is going to get a huge raise after his contract is up. I think Letang keeps the window open longer, and is a leader in the locker room. Throwing a first, second, and Sheary onto the pile is a bit much to me, although it can be argued that the cap-dump of Sheary is worth the second rounder, but I still feel like the first is a bit much to make up the difference between Doughty and Letang.
4. Last point, about salaries. I think you're underestimating the kind of paydays some of these players are going to be seeing. Oleksiak and Rust are likely going to make maybe 500k more than you signed them for, and Carlson isn't going to take less than 7M to sign with a division rival, not with the kinds of contracts other teams will throw at him.

I do agree that the window is closing, given the Guentzel and Murray contracts coming up in a few years, but this here is a team that is screwed in the offseason if it doesn't win now, kinda like last years Caps.

Why do people on here keep trading Maatta?

becasue he is not a core player. I'm not advocating it, but he is young with a decent contract and term, so he has more value than our other players to other teams. Anyone not named Crosby, Malkin, Letang, Guentzal and Murray and possibly Dumo, should be thought of as available if the price is right.

Maatta keeps getting traded because he slower than a 3 legged dog. Being so slow makes him a constant liability against a fast skating, aggressive forechecking team. He got hit the most out of any Penguins defender in this year's playoffs. He doesn't like being hit. Watch how he sees the guy coming n panics to avoid or brace for the hit n then in turn makes bad puck management decisions. He peaked before all his health issues and his salary is pretty high for someone who's cons outweigh his pros.

Sheary is God awful, he got paid big benefiting from being on Crosbys line that year. He doesn't produce enough offensively to have that kind of contract.

Hunwick was a bad signing from day 1.

Hagelin is overpaid as well. I like having him on the team but not for 4mil and not on the 2nd line. He's a bottom 6 forward.

Letang is not what he used to be. His decline is so noticeable when he came back from neck surgery. Hes a liability in the defensive zone and he has never been able to hit the broad side of a barn with his shot. I think paying over 7mil for a guy who has a hard time hitting double digits in goals (while used to being on the top PP unit (#1 unit in the NHL)) while making bad decisions on when n when not to pinch and his piss poor play away from the puck is crazy.

If Sprong is supposedly going to be w the Pens fulltime next season n doesn't pan out they need to move him asap while he still some value. They can't do with him how they did Pouliot.

Rutherford is really good at trading players but atrocious at giving out contracts. Hes doing the same here as he did in Carolina more or less. Look at Jordan Staal getting 6mil per year with all that term. Semin got overpaid too. I'm sure there's others, they're the only 2 off the top of my head.

Nobody like that guy that just gives bad stars. But ill be that guy because sheary and letang>>>doughty. And then you go and add really high picks to from pittsburgh.