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Rumor: Pittsburgh Penguins Set To Lose Star Player This Offseason
Kyle Dubas and the Pittsburgh Penguins have put themselves in a tough situation this year. The new general manager made it clear that he was going to make every effort to make the playoffs this year when he acquired Erik Karlsson from the Sharks in one of the biggest moves of the offseason. Now though, the team is stuck outside of the playoff picture and now the team could be on the verge of losing a key asset for nothing.
Guentzel Putting Off Contract Negotiations Until End Of Season
Perhaps the biggest name coming off the books for the Penguins this year is Jake Guentzel. The 29-year-old winger is on the final year of a contract making 6 million dollars this season as he is set to become an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career. According to David Pagnotta though, he is not interested in discussing a contract extension with the Penguins until the season is over. The NHL insider had Guentzel's agent on his show to discuss the specifics of his contract situation with the team going forward.
#LetsGoPens Jake Guentzel's agent, Ben Hankinson, on the situation with us earlier this hour on @SiriusXMNHL:
«He's on the last year of a deal. The good news is I have a really good relationship with Kyle Dubas. Jake Guentzel is in a great spot. He started his career there. It's no secret the team is getting older. There are some Hall of Fame players on that team. What's going to happen, I don't know. But I'm going to lean on conversations I've already had with Kyle, including 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. And like we talked about a couple of minutes ago, 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. But I do know Jake loves Pittsburgh. He's a hockey player. He's had some good success and fun in that city. We'll see.»
«He's on the last year of a deal. The good news is I have a really good relationship with Kyle Dubas. Jake Guentzel is in a great spot. He started his career there. It's no secret the team is getting older. There are some Hall of Fame players on that team. What's going to happen, I don't know. But I'm going to lean on conversations I've already had with Kyle, including 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. And like we talked about a couple of minutes ago, 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. But I do know Jake loves Pittsburgh. He's a hockey player. He's had some good success and fun in that city. We'll see.»
This does not sound like an agent who has an easy job ahead of him. It seems like cracks have already started to develop between Guentzel's camp and the Penguins. As it stands, the team is not very competitive. Guentzel may very well want to spend the rest of his career on a team where he believes he can win and Pittsburgh may not be that destination anymore.
Penguins To Consider Trading Guentzel?
It would make sense then, for the team to seriously consider trading Guentzel. If he is not interested in re-signing with the team this offseason, the team would be losing him for nothing. It may be better in the long run for the team to punt on this season and give it another go next year. Of course, in that case, the team would have to replace Guentzel with an equally skilled player but it seems like that might be the case anyways. Fans have already begun to ponder the possibilities.
In a sense, pulling the trigger on a Jake Guentzel trade would be admitting defeat this season for Kyle Dubas. As a first year GM with the organization, he likely will not want to make such a move, but he is also smart enough to realize it may be his best option if his players do not pick up the slack in the coming weeks.
As seen on Rumor: Jake Guentzel will not re-sign with Penguins this season.
| POLL | ||
January 7 | 371 answers Rumor: Pittsburgh Penguins Set To Lose Star Player This Offseason Do you think the Penguins will trade Guentzel this season? | ||
| Yes | 233 | 62.8 % |
| No | 138 | 37.2 % |
| LIST OF POLL | ||
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