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Tick, tock. Tick, tock.

We are approaching the final hours before the NHL trade deadline, and Jake Guentzel remains in Pittsburgh. So do all of his teammates.

That doesn’t mean Kyle Dubas has failed to inject youth into the Penguins. It means he’s taking his time, or that he’s holding out for a bigger return, or that he’s orchestrating a bidding war for the biggest chip at the deadline.

Here’s what I can tell you right now.

Many teams have inquired about Guentzel, as you’d imagine. The Vancouver Canucks have received an enormous amount of attention because of their GM, Jim Rutherford, the former Penguins boss who loves Guentzel and who rarely fails to get his man.

The Canucks, however, don’t want to part with either of their two blue-chip prospects, winger Jonathan Lekkerimäki and defenseman Tom Willander. So, as recently as Thursday night, league sources said, there was a sense of pessimism in Vancouver toward completing a Guentzel deal.

Other teams remain interested. The Carolina Hurricanes and New York Rangers, a couple of divisional rivals, are involved. So are the Vegas Golden Knights, who appear intent on acquiring every big name at the deadline.

So, what happens next?

I’ve been told that it’s essentially inevitable that Guentzel will be traded. That’s been the word for weeks, and that comes from Guentzel’s camp, from sources within the Penguins organization and sources around the NHL. Any romantic notion that the Penguins are going to reverse course and offer Guentzel a contract extension would appear to be misguided. No serious discussions between Guentzel’s agent (Ben Hankinson) and Dubas have ever taken place.

Guentzel has zero desire to leave Pittsburgh, but no one is expecting him to stay past this week.

All of which brings us back to Dubas and the growing pressure on him. He’s been running the Penguins’ show for only nine months, and blaming him for their current troubles isn’t fair. He inherited a mess from the previous regime. Dubas decided to shoot his shot last summer to try to pump life into a dying team. It was admirable and understandable, given the star power that remains. But it failed. Some of his summer moves, notably the big-money acquisition of Ryan Graves, were abject failures.

Such is life when trying to rebuild a team on July 1.

Dubas wasn’t really brought here to turn the Penguins into Stanley Cup contenders during the 2023-24 season. Sure, he tried, but it would have been considered a bonus of epic proportions if he pulled it off. No one who watched the Penguins in April 2023 should have expected a parade on the Boulevard of the Allies in June 2024. It was a broken team and still is.

Dubas was brought here to retool, rebuild or whatever you want to call it. He was brought here to orchestrate a new generation for the Penguins. We aren’t talking about a five-year rebuild, necessarily, but we are talking about a change of direction for the oldest team in hockey. More draft picks. An influx of prospects. Maybe, just maybe, a talented, young team surrounding Sidney Crosby in his final seasons with the Penguins, whenever they may be.

It’s a brutally tough job for Dubas because half of his roster has a no-movement clause and others were given such outrageous contracts by his predecessor that moving them is a major challenge.

But Dubas is making a lot of money to make these decisions and to make things happen.

It’s time.

Tick, tock. Tick, tock.

We saw an enormous amount of jarring moves around the NHL on Wednesday, two days before the deadline. It’s fair to wonder if Dubas has lost some of his leverage because of that. Some teams have made their moves and have given up the picks and prospects they’re willing to part with. Some teams have already made satisfactory additions and are no longer in the Guentzel sweepstakes.

Multiple league sources have told me Dubas’ asking price for Guentzel is extraordinarily high. Some are questioning it, believing Dubas could miss his opportunity to move Guentzel.

I disagree. Good for Dubas. He should be asking for a massive haul. Guentzel comes with some baggage — he’s injured, he’s somewhat injury-prone and he’s a rental — but he’s still the most coveted player at the deadline. He’s a point-per-game player and ranks ninth in NHL history in goals per game in the postseason. He should carry a significant price tag.

But has Dubas overplayed his hand? Does his asking price need to drop to make a deal happen? Or will he be fielding escalating offers as contenders get desperate closer to Friday afternoon?

Only Dubas knows.

This is a fascinating stretch for the Penguins because Guentzel isn’t the only player who could be traded — among them Reilly Smith, Lars Eller, Alex Nedeljkovic and Chad Ruhwedel.

I don’t think all of those players will be dealt, but they are all available and could help contending teams. They could also bring back the kind of assets the Penguins have been missing for a generation: picks and prospects.

Logistics will soon become an issue. It’s difficult to execute four trades on one day.

Still, Guentzel matters most. As a 22-year-old rookie, Guentzel gave the exhausted 2017 Penguins the injection of youth they needed to win the Stanley Cup again. All these years later, he could again be responsible for an injection of youth to an exhausted franchise that badly needs one.

The puck is on Dubas’ blade. We know Dubas is tremendously intelligent. We know how highly regarded he is by his peers. Even Rutherford took the time to call me minutes after Dubas was hired, gushing about Dubas’ brilliance.

It’s time to see the man in action. The Penguins locker room felt like a funeral after their victory against Columbus on Tuesday. The team and its fans are on edge.

Dubas coming through with a strong return for Guentzel won’t solve their problems this season, but it will make everyone feel better about the future.

He has taken his time on this one, which makes sense.

But time is almost up.

(Photo of Kyle Dubas: Steve Russell / Getty Images)