From Alex Daugherty in the Tennessean:
TLDR: Novak was underperforming and Trotz had a higher valuation of Bunting than he did Novak. Wanted to open room to get better in the center position. Said Novak didn't live up to expectations and was, (like every single RFA Trotz has signed…) better off as a league-minimum guy.
General manager Barry Trotz, in a conversation at Bridgestone Arena on Thursday, said the move was about wiping the roster clean in an attempt to move forward.
"I'm just sort of cleaning the porch, if you will," Trotz said. "Moving forward."
Trotz said his conversations with Pittsburgh general manager Kyle Dubas began as a swap for Novak and Bunting and the addition of Schenn closed the deal.
"I had multiple teams call me on Schenn," Trotz said. "I had a certain value for him. On a standalone trade, I might have been able to get (a little) more, but with the value between (Bunting and Novak), going back and forth, me and (Dubas) felt that if we made a little bigger deal, we could make it work."
According to Trotz, acquiring Bunting was about trying to upgrade the center position. He explained that, since signing him to a three-year deal last March, Novak hasn't able to meet the expectations of an offensive center.
"When (Novak) was a fourth-line, league-minimum guy and scoring while getting some sheltered minutes, that fit him just fine. When you move up the lineup, it's harder to find your space and be productive. If you want to move up the lineup, and get paid more, there's more responsibility."
"There's a reason that guys get the higher salaries, because most nights, they're getting the harder matchups and they're expected to produce," Trotz explained.