Should the Penguins Trade Jake Guentzel?
Penguins forward Jake Guentzel has been in the news lately, and not just for his exemplary play and production.
Rather, it has to do with the plucky winger’s fate come the trade deadline. Jim Rutherford’s high-flying Canucks are one team rumored to be in the hunt for Guentzel’s services.
Which brings me to my question. Should the Pens trade the pending UFA-to-be or hang onto him?
A really tough question that’ll be at least partially determined by our standing at the deadline. If we’re still in the playoff mix, I suspect it’s a no brainer to keep Jake and roll the dice in the offseason, when the salary cap is expected to increase by several million dollars.
If we’re out of the playoff chase? The question becomes a lot more problematic.
To digress, it’s really hard to imagine the Pens without Guentzel. From the moment Jake first stepped onto the ice for us as a fresh-faced rookie back in November 2016 and scored two goals in his debut, he’s been a special player. A rare combination of grit, guile, magic hands and smarts and fueled by an ultra-competitive nature, the Omaha native’s averaged close to a point per game over his eight-season NHL career and twice hit the 40-goal mark.
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