Jake Guentzel Deal: Penguins Holding Back on Offer

PITTSBURGH – Jake Guentzel has been the talk of the town as the Pittsburgh Penguins are still unclear on a direction to take approaching the trade deadline. With an expiring deal and an uncertain playoff spot, Guentzel’s future with the Penguins remains up in the air.

During the Penguins’ bye week, Nick Kypreos of SportsNet mentioned that Guentzel had been offered a large deal to remain in Pittsburgh, but pen was never put to paper. Kypreos said the offer was for six years at $8.5 million per season.

According to a new report from Josh Yohe of The Athletic, no such offer has been made. Yohe states that serious contract talks between general manager Kyle Dubas and Guentze’s camp have started.

“Dubas and Guentzel’s agent, Ben Hankinson, have a good relationship and have had casual conversations about Guentzel’s future, a team source said. Serious negotiations, however, haven’t begun," Yohe writes. 

The Penguins are still trying to make themselves look like contenders for the Stanley Cup this season and Dubas is being patient with his decision-making. If the Penguins can look like a threat, Dubas might turn the team into buyers at the deadline and find a way to complete a deal with Guentzel.

If the wheels fall off over the next few weeks, however, it would make perfect sense for the Penguins to ship Guentzel off to the highest bidder. Teams are likely lining up, waiting for Dubas to say the word, as Guentzel would jump straight to the top of every trade target list.

With previous reports seemingly untrue, the Penguins still need to decide for themselves just where their season is heading.