Jake Guentzel out indefinitely following ankle surgery
Jake Guentzel will miss the start of the upcoming NHL season, as the Pittsburgh Penguins winger underwent ankle surgery two days ago and will be re-evaluated in 12 weeks. An announcement was made by the team earlier Friday on social media.
There’s an argument to be had that Guentzel is the most important Penguin not named Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin. The 28-year-old scored 157 points over the past two seasons and has been a hallmark of the top six since winning the Stanley Cup as a rookie in the 2016-2017 season. For a team that routinely relies on veteran talent and acquisitions, he is one of their most important draft successes of the past fifteen years.
Ray Shero was in charge when the Pens selected Guentzel with the No. 77 pick of the 2013 NHL Draft. The Omaha, Neb., native has an impressive career record of 414 points in 453 games, including two 40-goal seasons. This will be the first time he misses extended time in a season since the 2019-2020 season. Other than that, the seven-year veteran has mostly been a warrior on the ice. He’s a fan favorite in the Steel City and a part of a small group that remains from the 2017 championship team.
Eyes will now start shifting to Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas. For almost the whole offseason, they have been linked with a trade for Norris winner Erik Karlsson. While the Swede is not a like-for-like replacement, he would add a lot of offense and excitement from the backend. If Dubas is able to put the injured Guentzel on LTIR, then it’s possible that a trade materializes much quicker than expected. However, that may not be possible since the recovery from ankle surgery would likely complete in November or December.
Regardless, a move like that would soften the blow of Guentzel’s injury and still keep Pittsburgh competitive in a bloodbath of a Metropolitan Division. Failing to get a deal done would put even more pressure on Dubas trade acquisition Reilly Smith.
Jake Guentzel is gonna be out for a while, which is not a small deal. The Penguins must replace him by-committee for the time being, but an Erik Karlsson trade could atone for his loss.
