Canucks Making Aggressive Push for Penguins Star

The Vancouver Canucks are aggressively in pursuit of acquiring the Pittsburgh Penguins forward.

PITTSBURGH – The bidding war is on for Pittsburgh Penguins’ superstar forward Jake Guentzel. Rumors have swirled that the Penguins are trying to get a deal done as soon as possible, preferably before they drop the puck against the Washington Capitals.

With a flurry of trades being made across the league, possible trade partners with the Penguins may be slipping out of the race. One team has held strong, however, despite already making a big move earlier in the season.

According to Josh Yohe of the Athletic, the Vancouver Canucks are still heavily involved in the negotiations.

“I’ve been told by numerous sources that Vancouver is very aggressively trying to make a deal happen.”

The 2023-24 Canucks have become informally known as “Pittsburgh West” thanks to the amount of Penguins connections throughout the organization. Their front office features former Penguins executives Jim Rutherford and Patrik Allvin. Behind the bench is former Penguins player and assistant coach Rick Tocchet. In the lineup are numerous recent departures from the Penguins’ organization.

A source has also told Inside the Penguins that Vancouver is Guentzel's preferred destination. With that many former teammates, coaches, and managers, it would be an easy transition.

Adding Guentzel would add to the Penguins’ connections and possibly push the Canucks over the edge as a legit Stanley Cup contender.

Chris Johnston of TSN added earlier that Rutherford would be willing to flip recent trade acquisition Elias Lindholm to the Boston Bruins if it meant he could snag Guentzel. Rutherford is never boring come deadline time, and this year with the Canucks is no different as they stack up as one of the best teams in the NHL.

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