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5 best landing spots for Penguins' Jake Guentzel
Jake Guentzel is a third-round pick (77th overall) from the 2013 NHL Entry Draft who spent his eight-year career with the Pittsburgh Penguins. In 503 games, he's become known as an elite goal-scorer, netting 40 goals in two seasons, reaching at least 20 every year but his rookie campaign.
The Omaha, Nebraska native is in the final season of the five-year contract he signed in 2018, which pays him $6 million annually.
Guentzel has yet to sign an extension with the Penguins, who are about to miss the playoffs for the second consecutive season with a 24-21-7 record.
As one of Pittsburgh's best trade chips, which NHL teams would be interested in a winger who averages 27 goals a year? Let's take a look at the best options for the 29-year-old.
5 best landing spots for Penguins' Jake Guentzel
#1. New York Rangers
Last week, the New York Rangers lost one of their top wingers, 37-year-old Blake Wheeler, to a season-ending lower-body injury. As the top team in the Metropolitan Division, the club is in a "win-now" position and should be active participants in the upcoming NHL Trade Deadline, focusing on a player like Guentzel.
Although general manager Chris Drury has publicity stated he does not want to move the team's first-round draft pick, the Rangers are thin at the wing position after Chris Kreider and Artemi Panarin, with the rest of the lines filled out with kids.
Acquiring a former 40-goal scorer makes Guentzel one of the top five offensive threats in the lineup, and he's won a Stanley Cup, something only Barclay Goodrow brings to the dressing room.
Even though the Penguins may be hesitant to deal within the division, New York has the pieces to help kick-start Pittsburgh's rebuild.
#2. Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers may be the NHL's best team since November. Still, their most significant moves of the season included firing their head coach, demoting a $5 million starting netminder to the minors, and signing Corey Perry.
As the favorite by many hockey experts to win the Stanley Cup, this team is still missing a few key pieces to find success in the Stanley Cup playoffs. If they were able to acquire Guentzel, it would solidify their lineup while helping lessen the pressure on Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and now Zach Hyman to carry the team every night.
The Oilers have some draft picks they could move and employ young players who could use a fresh start in another franchise. Although the odds of Edmonton and Pittsburgh connecting on this deal are slim, one team needs more offense, and the other needs to rebuild, making them ideal partners.
#3. New York Islanders
The New York Islanders are also in the same division, so the Penguins may send Guentzel elsewhere. However, the other New York team is desperate for a makeover and has limited cap space to make it happen.
But, they do have a handful of players who need a change of scenery so they can restart their careers, players like Brock Nelson and Scott Mayfield. Currently, the team's best-scoring winger is Kyle Palmieri, and the Islanders are top-heavy at center with Mathew Barzal, Bo Horvat, and Nelson.
Although they also fired their head coach, bringing in legend Patrick Roy as a replacement, the Islanders still haven't made any progress with a new bench boss. Acquiring and extending Guentzel while moving out some long-time players could benefit the organization's future, as they are slated to miss the postseason for the second time in three seasons.
#4. St. Louis Blues
The St. Louis Blues pop up on this list because they maintain a wildcard spot in the Western Conference after a slow start and coaching change. Thanks to solid goaltending and a 60-plus point campaign from Robert Thomas, the Blues are positioning themselves as a tough elimination in the playoffs.
If the organization, which owns seven picks in the upcoming NHL Entry Draft, were interested in boosting their top-six, especially if they trade away Pavel Buchnevich, adding Guentzel would become a priority for general manager Doug Armstrong.
Realistically, no one would expect the Blues to make this move or be that active in acquiring more impact players at the deadline. However, they were massive underdogs in 2019 when they won the Stanley Cup, so just tinkering with their current lineup could give them better-than-expected results in the playoffs again.
#5. Nashville Predators
The Nashville Predators are another Central Division team on the cusp of obtaining a playoff position despite battling five other teams for the final two spots. After an offseason with several lineup changes, they could make a splash at the deadline to acquire Guentzel, who would complement their other veteran players.
Although Nashville is considered a small market town with more than $7 million in cap space available, it owns 11 draft picks in 2024 and has a goalie, Juuse Saros, who may need to find a new home.
Considering that Pittsburgh is committed to Tristan Jarry for the foreseeable future, these two teams may connect with another team, perhaps even the New Jersey Devils, and piece together a blockbuster.
As another dark horse team to land Guentzel, teams like the Predators sometimes make a splash when it is least expected and benefit from having that reputation to land skilled players.
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