Canucks Expected To Target Former Penguins Star
The Vancouver Canucks will look to add another former Pittsburgh Penguins skater to their roster.
PITTSBURGH – The Vancouver Canucks made it clear around the trade deadline that they were very interested in Pittsburgh Penguins star Jake Guentzel. The high-scoring winger was eventually moved to the Carolina Hurricanes, but with free agency closing in, Guentzel is likely hitting the open market.
Despite missing out on him at the deadline, the Canucks are expected to take a hard run at Guentzel when free agency opens. Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff says the Canucks are one of a handful of teams expected to be in the mix.
Before being traded to Carolina, Vancouver appeared to be Guentzel’s preferred destination. The Canucks boast plenty of former Penguins; from players to coaches, and front office staff, the Canucks were coined “Penguins West” by Evgeni Malkin.
Among the former Penguins are plenty of faces Guentzel won the Stanley Cup with in 2017. Cancucks head coach Rick Tocchet, president Jim Rutherford, and general manager Patrik Allvin make Vancouver an extremely welcoming environment for Guentzel.
Plenty of teams will be interested in Guentzel’s talents when free agency opens on July 1. The Penguins may be one of the teams involved, but they likely won’t be able to pull anything off. The door will be open for teams like the Canucks or New York Rangers to make big pushes for the multi-time 40-goal scorer.
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