The Pittsburgh Penguins are looking for certain pieces in return for Jake Guentzel.
The Pittsburgh Penguins are looking for certain pieces in return for Jake Guentzel.
PITTSBURGH – The Pittsburgh Penguins are likely on the cusp of a yard sale as the trade deadline sits under a week away. The main item up for grabs from the Penguins is a multi-time 40-goal scorer in Jake Guentzel.
The elite winger has been on the shelf with an upper-body injury, but the Penguins still expect a haul in return for Guentzel. While asking prices have been rumored to be around a first-round draft pick, a key prospect, and another asset, there may be some alterations to the expected return.
According to Elliotte Friedman on Saturday Headlines, the Penguins are more focused on gaining prospects for Guentzel.
“Pittsburgh has told teams they are more interested in two prospects as opposed to a prospect and a first-rounder,” Friedman said. “They prefer prospects over picks.”
This is a solid decision by the Penguins, considering some of the teams gunning for Guentzel. Getting a first-round pick would be nice, but it could very well be the 32nd pick of the draft. Playoff teams are sniffing around Guentzel and are looking to add him in hopes of a Stanley Cup run.
The Penguins, meanwhile, will target prospects with pedigree rather than guessing on a late first-round pick in hopes they pan out.
“They’ve told several teams this,” Friedman said. “If you need them to eat money or they have to take a contract back, that could change the dynamic, but that’s the key thing.”
It seems almost inevitable at this point that the Penguins are dealing Guentzel before the trade deadline; it’s just a matter of finding the suiter and getting as perfect of a return as possible.
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