The Pittsburgh Penguins will benefit greatly if Jake Guentzel can return to form in 2023-24.
It isn’t totally clear if Jake Guentzel will slot into the Pittsburgh Penguins lineup on opening night, but whenever he does return to the ice, he’ll be looking for some improvements.
Despite leading the Penguins in goals during the 2022-23 campaign, Guentzel didn’t speak very highly of his season.
On a few occasions during the season, Guentzel felt like he was underperforming and not playing up to his standards.
In fairness to Guentzel, a good majority of the Penguins lineup was failing to play to the proper standards, and the whole team fell short because of it.
Guentzel’s season, however, did feel lackluster and like much of the roster, inconsistent as ever.
It’s that consistency that the entire team will be searching for, but so will Guentzel for his own sake.
“Just be a consistent player and do whatever it takes to win,” Guentzel said. “I got to be better. I’m just excited to get going.”
Even if his status isn’t totally clear at the moment, Guentzel wants to be a better competitor and contribute to Penguins victories.
Guentzels health and ability to bounce back will not only benefit the Penguins, but also the player himself.
The 2023-24 season is the final year of Guentzel’s contract that earns him $6 million against the cap, and if he can put together a good enough season, there’s no reason he couldn’t make around $10 million.
It’s a high price, but the salary cap is projected to rise and Guentzel can prove to be worth every dime.
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