Sekeres and Price: Frank Seravalli when asked if the Pittsburgh Penguins will make forward Jake Guentzel available for trade.
** NHLRumors.com transcription
Jeff Peterson: “Jake Guentzel seems to be at the top of a lot of fans wish list and yet, he’s a pending on restricted free agent, Leads the Penguins in scoring but how does it mesh with you got yet EriK Karlsson last summer, you got Sid, you got Gino and trying to squeeze whatever you can in the season that kids are having as well. Is Jake Guentzel going to be on the trade market?”
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Seravalli: “I mean, tell me in three weeks where the Penguins are in the standings. Have they broken through and become a playoff team and if not, I think you absolutely have to begin plucking off pieces and moving someone like Jake Guentzel.
He turns 30 next October. He’s someone that has been, you know, really close to borderline elite player in this league for a long stretch of time. And if you’re the Penguins and you’ve now had a second consecutive season where you miss the playoffs with the year that Crosby is had, with a healthy Crosby and Malkin and the addition of Erik Karlsson on the back end and you still don’t make it.
You’re gonna sign Jake Ansel for 6, 7, 8 years for what? To be the best player on the 30th place team in the league, as opposed to going out and trading him and beginning to recoup assets to turn this thing over.
NHL Rumors: Could the Vancouver Canucks target Jake Guentzel if the Penguins make him available?
There aren’t very many trade chips that this team has. He would be one of them and you’d have to maximize value while you can because I don’t see any point in signing him to a long-term deal.”
