Penguins Could Open Auction for Jake Guentzel

If the Pittsburgh Penguins decide to move Jake Guentzel, there are a number of teams who could make offers.

PITTSBURGH – Kyle Dubas recently put to bed the idea that the Pittsburgh Penguins are talking with teams about moving star forward Jake Guentzel prior to the trade deadline. Guentzel is in the final year of his contract and could fetch the Penguins a healthy return, but he could also be a key piece to a deep playoff run.

It’s that latter point that has kept Dubas from opening conversations around the league, and is hoping to soon talk with Guentzel and his camp about the future in Pittsburgh. While the Penguins are holding onto their guy as long as possible, if push comes to shove and it’s time for a deal, plenty of teams will be lining up to make a trade proposal.

Elliotte Friedman on the 32 Thoughts Podcast stated that if Dubas has no choice but to move Guentzel, he’s going to open up a pretty big auction.

“If Jake Guentzel becomes available, the Vancouver Canucks are going to be in it,” Friedman said. “But so are a lot of other people. And Kyle Dubas’ job, if this happens, is to create an auction.”

With Friedman name dropping the Canucks, and they are certainly a destination, but where else would Guentzel fit if, and it’s a big IF, he was to be put up for this auction.

Let’s get the easy and most talked about option out of the way. The Cancucks are already labeled as ‘Penguins West’ with numerous former players and front office executives in the organization. President Jim Rutherford and general manager Patrik Allvin are familiar with Guentzel as is head coach Rick Tocchet.

Adding an elite scoring winger like Guentzel to one of the best records in the NHL would only show that they are committed to making a deep run for the franchise’s first Stanley Cup.

The Athletic reported before the new year that The Rangers or Oilers would be solid landing places for Guentzel. Both have high-flying offenses that need just one more talent to push them over the edge and get them over postseason humps.

Guentzel’s work in the playoffs is almost unparalleled with 34 goals and a total of 58 points in 58 career postseason games.

With the Rangers, Guentzel would fill a space left open to form one of the most lethal top sixes in the league. On the Oilers, it’s much of the same, but it would create a ripple effect in their lineup to bolster their depth.

Speaking of ‘Penguins West,’ the Kraken have more former Penguins in their active lineup than the Canucks and have a couple of familiar faces in their front office, as well. Where the Kraken sneak into this conversation, however, is their need for a true goal scorer.

It’s been three seasons of existence for the Kraken and Jared McCann has been far and away their most productive player. Not that that’s a negative thing, McCann is a great player, but Guentzel would be better.

Guentzel has outproduced McCann in each of the last three years and could form a nice bond on the Kraken’s top line.

The Kraken slipped a little since their loss to the Penguins, seeing their nine-game winning streak come to an end, but they’re still right on the brink of a playoff spot. With prospects and draft picks to sell, the Kraken could afford the possible price tag Dubas would set for Guentzel.

Like Friedman said, if Guentzel is hitting the road, it’s up to Dubas to create and auction. Guentzel would likely become the biggest name on any trade board and the kind of player each team in the NHL would open their pocketbook for.

While the four listed above would be likely front runners or popular options, pretty much the rest of the NHL would show a ton of interest.

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