Penguins Right to Look to Build for Future amid Jake Guentzel, NHL Trade Rumors
March 4, 2024
The Pittsburgh Penguins want to get younger and they want to do it now, even if it means giving up a star left winger in Jake Guentzel.
"We need to get younger. We have a lot of guys in their 30s signed. Some of them are the best players in the history of the franchise. We have to have a way to continue to have those solid veteran guys but continue to get younger at the same time," team general manager Kyle Dubas told reporters.
Guentzel, 29, has 52 points (22 goals, 30 assists) in 50 games and is the second-most potent scorer for Pittsburgh. He is also on long-term injured reserve with what's speculated to be a fractured finger, according to Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff, but he will be eligible to return two days after Friday's trade deadline.
The veteran understands the nature of the business, but that does not necessarily make it easier to hear his name mentioned in trade discussions.
"Don't get me wrong, it's a hard part of the business—like, you kind of grow up with an organization, and then you don't know what's next. That's not fun for anyone," he told Rob Rossi of The Athletic
Regardless of how difficult it may be, the Penguins are right to want to get younger. Pittsburgh is the oldest team by average age at 30.8 years old. Its core players are all closer to 40, too, with Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang at 36 and Evgeni Malkin at 37.
Add the fact that prized trade acquisition Erik Karlsson is 33, and you have a team that is long in the tooth in a sport that is increasingly a young man's game.
The Penguins have not done themselves any favors in their pursuit of youth with their asking price for Guentzel, though. NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman said on SportsNet's Hockey Night in Canada that Pittsburgh prefers prospects to picks. "From what I understand, Pittsburgh has told teams they are more interested in two prospects as opposed to a prospect and a first-rounder."
Emily Kaplan of ESPN provided further insight, writing, "I've heard the asking price on Guentzel is multiple first-round picks (or a first-round pick and equivalent in top prospects or roster players)."
She continued, "One rival executive said 'the Guentzel asking price is ridiculous.'"
Guentzel is a top-tier trade target, a player who can instantly elevate the offense of any playoff contender, but the Pens may very well be pricing themselves out of the game.
Sure, they want to make certain they are receiving an adequate return for a player of his caliber, but devising an asking price that will be scoffed at only makes the team look less than serious in its attempt to recoup youth in return for the winger.
It does not help the Penguins attain their goal of getting younger, which is something that, if it is not accomplished soon, could put the organization in an even tougher position.
The Penguins are not completely out of contention, so the organization should reevaluate its asking price, make it a little more realistic and reasonable, and focus on a push for the postseason before the team becomes so irrelevant in Stanley Cup conversations that Crosby, Malkin and Letang become the next names bantered about in trade discussions.
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