Pittsburgh Penguins center Jake Guentzel is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent this summer, and his agent, Ben Hankinson said that things could get ugly with Kyle Dubas in contract negotiations.

“Jake Guentzel is in a great spot,” Ben Hankinson said, according to Sean O'Leary of theScore. “What's going to happen? I don't know. But I'm going to lean on conversations I've already had with (general manager) Kyle (Dubas), inclusing in the summer, including conversations with Jake. I think the good thing is we'll all be on the same page. Could it get ugly? Yes, it could. Kyle has to make decisions, too – which way the team is going and the investment he's going to make with Jake. Is it the same direction? It's going to come down to how they play, and we'll put our heads together. All the things that go into trade deadlines, (Kyle) might look into what he can get for Jake or what it costs to sign him. There's a lot that will happen in two months, and I don't know the answers to that.”

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The Penguins are in seventh in the Metropolitan Division, but sit just two points out of a playoff spot in the tightly-contested Eastern Conference. Pittsburgh is pushing to make the playoffs with an older group of players, and it will likely come down to the wire. The Penguins missed out last year by a slim margin. The hope is for Pittsburgh to return to the playoffs and potentially go on one last run with Sidney Crosby.

Jake Guentzel is producing this season, with 18 goals and 25 assists for 43 points 38 games this season, according to Hockey Reference. Jake Guentzel should command a significant contract, whether that be an extension to stay with the Penguins or with another team this summer as a free agent.