Rather surprisingly, Pittsburgh Penguins forward Jake Guentzel remains with the team as the NHL trade deadline looms. With the March 8 deadline right around the corner, the longer Guentzel stays a Penguin, the more rumors appear that Pittsburgh is going to retain him not only for the rest of the season but long-term.
Pittsburgh radio host Mark Madden is the latest to facilitate those rumors, suggesting that the Penguins are looking into the possibility of extending their star winger.
“I’ve heard they may yet sign Guentzel,” Madden said, per Tim Benz of TribLIVE. “I’ve heard he’s come down off his asking price a little bit. But is that the right move to make? You’re going to have to sign him for six, seven, maybe eight years, and you want the team to get younger? Is that facilitated by signing a 29-year-old to that length of deal?”
Guentzel is a player that a lot of teams covet, but they might not necessarily want to cough up the high-end draft picks to attain him. Whether that's the reason why he's still a Penguins player remains to be seen, but the reason he could extend his time in Pittsburgh beyond this season might lie with his teammate Sidney Crosby.
Madden mentioned that Crosby could be pushing to keep arguably his best linemate ever.
“I don’t totally discount it because Sid would like the Penguins to keep his preferred linemate,” Madden said.
Penguins, Guentzel heading for a deadline deal?
Guentzel hasn't played since Feb. 14 due to an upper-body injury, but he remains the Penguins' second-leading scorer behind Crosby. His injury may be another factor as to why he hasn’t been traded, though he's expected to be back sometime in March which should set him up to get back into the full swing of things before the playoffs.
The Penguins don’t appear to be heading toward the postseason, so it would make sense for them to capitalize on Guentzel's value and trade him for some future assets. If no trade comes to fruition before Friday, Pittsburgh's first move post-deadline could be trying to strike a new deal with Guentzel.
Guentzel turns 30 before the start of next season, meaning this could be his last chance at a major payday. The Penguins might want to get younger, but a goalscorer as pure as Guentzel could still be a valuable player well into his 30s.
The next few days will be interesting as multiple franchises are likely to make a last-minute push for Jake Guentzel. Perhaps he's already played his last game in a Penguins uniform.
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