Penguins Have Options in Jake Guentzel’s Absence

Jake Guentzel won't be around to start the season, but the Pittsburgh Penguins should have a few backup plans.

The Pittsburgh Penguins received a crushing blow when it was announced that Jake Guentzel underwent ankle surgery and will be re-evaluated in 12 weeks.

When the re-evaluation time comes, the Penguins will have already played a handful of games in the 2023-24 regular season, and it’s not even a guarantee he will return then.

In Guentzel’s absence, massive holes just opened up in the offense and on the first line.

Who can the Penguins turn to to fill the gap left to start the season? There are a few in-house options that should pay off in the short term.

There will be plenty of battles for depth forward roles in the Penguins’ lineup, and Alex Nylander will be at the center of all of them.

Nylander’s spot on the lineup isn’t yet guaranteed, but Guentzel going down opens a new door for Nylander.

It may have been a short stint at the NHL level for Nylander last year, but he showed outstanding potential.

Nylander is usually an option for a middle-six role, but could fill in on the top line no problem.

The newly acquired Reilly Smith is likely going to spend most of his first season in Pittsburgh on the second line with Evgeni Malkin, but should be a first line candidate to start the season.

This is just the easy option of promoting the next left winger in the lineup, but nothing to scoff at.

Smith is the obvious Jason Zucker replacement but brings a bit more of a consistent scoring touch.

Tacking that kind of production alongside Sidney Crosby would do wonders in Guentzel’s absence.

A few names could fall into this spot, and it would be a massive leap for a guy like Sam Poulin or Valtteri Puustinen to take, but it could work in the Penguins’ favor.

Both Poulin and Puustinen are a pair of the Penguins’ top forward prospects and are hungry to make the jump to the NHL on a more consistent basis this year.

Any opening that appears in the lineup should be a target of theirs, and that includes on the first line.

Poulin made his NHL debut in 2022 and didn’t look totally out of place, but needed more time to grow.

Puustinen, meanwhile, spent a ton of time on Crosby’s wing during 2022 training camp, possibly showing a budding chemistry already forming.

If they still work well together, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that Puustinen starts the season on the first line.

Like mentioned, there are going to be plenty of battles for depth forward spots, many will feature some new signees.

Andreas Johnsson is right there alongside Vinnie Hinostroza who could step in as a temporary replacement.

Without a Guentzel injury, those two may have been starting their 2023-24 season in the AHL, but the whole in the lineup could be their opportunity to pounce.

Johnsson and Hinostroza signed one-year deals with the Penguins and are looking to recaim regular roles in the NHL.

Training camp and preseason will be auditions for them and how they perform in those early chances could determine their entire future in the league.

Landing a spot on the first line would go a far way in proving what they can still do.

A late addition to the list, but likely an underrated piece to the Erik Karlsson trade, Rem Pitlick could have a bigger impact on the Penguins than initially expected.

Karlsson is obviously the highlight of the deal, but Pitlick will add to the Penguins' depth forward options and is in the same boat many of the other names already listed.

Pitlick can easily slide in as a temporary option on the top line and could be a good finisher for Crosby's wing to start the year.

The Penguins need a hot start to the 2023-24 season and losing Guentzel for the first handful of games will make things tougher than already slated.

There are plenty of options, however, that the team can chose from and surely someone will step up and prove to standout in the time being.

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