The Pittsburgh Penguins might have Jake Guentzel back far sooner than anticipated.

Ever since the Pittsburgh Penguins opened their 2023 training camp, Jake Guentzel has slowly been working his way back from ankle surgery.

After taking a few skates with his Penguins teammates in a non-contact uniform, Guentzel took the next step in his progressions back to health.

With a week remaining until the 2023-24 regular season, Guentzel skated with his teammates in a regular black jersey and was taking contact.

According to Guentzel following the practice, it is still too early to tell if he is ahead of schedule for a return to the lineup.

"An exciting day for sure. Just the first step."

Sullivan confirmed that this was Guentzel’s first day back in a contact capacity and is taking strides in the right direction.

When asked about it over the offseason, new president and general manager Kyle Dubas stated that Guentzel will likely miss the opening five games of the season.

With this kind of progress, it isn’t out of the question that Guentzel is back in the lineup for opening night.

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