Lightning Make Huge Splash By Signing Jake Guentzel
The Tampa Bay Lightning made one of the biggest free agency acquisitions by signing winger Jake Guentzel to a seven-year, $9 Million AAV contract on July 1. The Lightning weren't playing around in their pursuit of Guentzel, as they traded stud defenseman Mikhail Sergachev and lowballed longtime captain Steven Stamkos in order to gain the cap space needed to sign Guentzel. The 29-year-old had 77 points in 67 games last year and has topped a point-per-game in four of his last five seasons, making it easy to see why Tampa coveted him. He will slot into their lethal top six and first powerplay unit, making him a target in the second or third round of fantasy drafts.
Jake Guentzel Nets Two Goals In Double-Overtime Loss
Carolina Hurricanes left wing Jake Guentzel netted two goals against the Rangers in Tuesday's 4-3 double-overtime loss. The 29-year-old finally had some luck in front of the net after lightning the lamp only once through his first six postseason outings of the year. Despite the lack of goals, Guentzel has been in fine form in the playoffs, averaging a point per game through seven outings. He's averaging nearly 2.5 shots per game and should be able to boost his goal-scoring rate when the series continues in Raleigh.
Jake Guentzel Likely To Make Hurricanes Debut Tuesday
Newly acquired forward Jake Guentzel is likely to make his Carolina Hurricanes debut Tuesday versus the New York Rangers. The 29-year-old was acquired in a trade-deadline deal from the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for winger Michael Bunting, prospects Vasily Ponomarev and Ville Koivunen, the rights to forward Cruz Lucius, a conditional first-round pick in the 2024 draft, and a conditional fifth-round pick in the 2024 draft ahead of Friday's NHL trade deadline. "I think there's a real good possibility," Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind'Amour said after Tuesday's morning skate. "He'll take warmup and see where we go, but all indications are I think he will [play]." The left winger has tallied 22 goals and 52 points across 50 games this season.
The Carolina Hurricanes have won the Jake Guentzel sweepstakes, acquiring the star winger from the Pittsburgh Penguins ahead of Friday's trade deadline. The Hurricanes traded forwards Michael Bunting, Ville Koivunen, Cruz Lucius, and Vasily Ponomarev, a conditional first-round pick in 2024, and their conditional fifth-round pick in 2024 for Guentzel and defenseman Ty Smith. Pittsburgh retained 25 percent of Guentzel's $6 million cap hit. The 29-year-old winger moves on from Pittsburgh after skating in 503 regular-season games and posting 466 points (219 goals, 247 assists). He won the Stanley Cup with the Penguins in 2017. Guentzel hasn't played since Feb. 14 due to an upper-body injury, but he's just been cleared for contact and should be in the Hurricanes lineup soon for his team debut. He will be a big addition to the team's top six and the power play.
Pittsburgh Penguins left wing Jake Guentzel (upper body) is expected to be out for four weeks. The prolific forward was injured in Wednesday's game against Florida and missed his first contest of the season when the Penguins were back on the ice Thursday versus Chicago. Guentzel leads the Penguins with 30 assists and has amassed 52 points overall in 50 appearances. Rickard Rakell was promoted to the first line in his absence on Thursday. The Swedish winger collected two assists in the game and looks well-situated to improve his productivity over the coming weeks, having linked up with Sidney Crosby.
The Pittsburgh Penguins are not afraid to trade pending free agent Jake Guentzel if they cannot get a contract done with him prior to the March 8 NHL trade deadline. It has been rumored that Guentzel rejected a six-year deal in the $8.5 million per year range but nothing official has been released on that front. Of course, the Penguins would like to keep Guentzel at a reasonable price as he's one of the top goal-scoring left-wingers in the league and the running mate to superstar Sidney Crosby, who is having a big season despite the Penguins sitting seven points back of the second and final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference. The 29-year-old has tallied 22 goals and 49 points on 173 shots in 46 games this season and has scored at least 36 goals in each of his last two seasons. The Penguins return from the All-Star break to take on the Jets on Feb. 6.
Pittsburgh Penguins left wing Jake Guentzel contributed two goals in Tuesday's 4-2 triumph over the Coyotes. His first goal, which came 1:12 into the first period, ended a 0-for-37 run on the power play for Pittsburgh. Guentzel also had the honors of finishing the scoring, bagging an empty-netter with 1:27 left to go in regulation. Considering the talent available, the Penguins' struggles with the man advantage have been baffling. Guentzel has tallied only four power-play points for the season. Impressively, the skillful winger is still averaging over a point per game, leading his team with 31 points (12 goals, 19 assists) in 27 games. He's been kept off the score sheet just twice since opening November with a big four-point performance against San Jose.
Jake Guentzel Feeling "Great" Following Early Return
Pittsburgh Penguins left wing Jake Guentzel has been in red-hot form after making an early return from ankle surgery, but he sees room for further improvement. "I feel great physically, hands are still kind of catching up," Guentzel said on Sunday. "I've been pretty fortunate so far to get a couple of points. Hopefully, there's another level to come." The 29-year-old has been very modest in judging his form, as he has far more than just a couple of points in the bag, having tallied one goal and five assists in three games. The six-point tally puts Guentzel in a four-way tie for the league lead. Guentzel and the Penguins return to action Wednesday in Detroit.
Pittsburgh Penguins left wing Jake Guentzel (ankle) is a game-time decision for Tuesday's season opener versus Chicago. On Monday, Guentzel logged his second full practice with the team following ankle surgery, and he appears to be trending toward playing. The Penguins have named him in their opening night roster, which strongly signals that Guentzel is good to go. He wasn't expected to miss many games anyhow, but this is still great news for Pittsburgh. Guentzel is slated to line up in his usual spot next to Sidney Crosby and Bryan Rust.
Pittsburgh Penguins left wing Jake Guentzel (ankle) was a full participant in Tuesday's practice. Guentzel had ankle surgery at the beginning of August and was set to miss the first five games of the regular season, but it looks now like he could be available for opening night. The two-time All-Star himself, however, isn't yet ready to commit to an earlier return. "It's too early to tell. Just have to wait and see," Guentzel said after practice. "Obviously just have to wait and see. It's day by day. I feel great. It's obviously nice to be out with the guys again, just see their faces and be out with the new guys. So exciting day for sure. Just the first step." Guentzel has led the Penguins in goals for two consecutive seasons and should continue to enjoy life next to Sidney Crosby in 2023-24.
Pittsburgh Penguins left wing Jake Guentzel (ankle) returned to practice for the first time following offseason surgery on Friday. The prolific winger wore a non-contact jersey as he continued to work his way back from having a procedure done on his right ankle. Guentzel was initially expected to miss the first five games of the regular season, but it now looks like he could be available sooner. His return to practice is certainly a significant step towards recovery. The 28-year-old went close to a second consecutive 40-goal campaign last term, and he should be around the 80-point mark in 2023-24 if he avoids further health issues.
Jake Guentzel Expected To Miss Only Handful Of Games
Pittsburgh Penguins winger Jake Guentzel (ankle) isn't expected to miss a lot of time at the start of the season. Last week, Pittsburgh announced that the team's top goal-scorer from the previous two years has undergone surgery to fix a lingering ankle issue, but president and general manager Kyle Dubas has since then clarified that Guentzel will be out for only a handful of games. "We'll miss him for the first couple games of the year, but then he'll be back to the Jake we know, which I think is the best solution for all of us," Dubas said, adding that it's been projected Guentzel will be unavailable for the first five games. Guentzel has netted 76 times across the last two seasons, notching 157 points in 154 games overall, and he should be one of Pittsburgh's most productive players again in 2023-24.
Pittsburgh Penguins winger Jake Guentzel won't be available for the start of the 2023-24 campaign after undergoing ankle surgery. The Penguins announced that Guentzel will be re-evaluated in 12 weeks. This is quite a blow for the team, as Guentzel's absence means that Pittsburgh will be without its last season's top goal-scorer. Guentzel struck 36 times in 78 games and tallied 73 points overall, trailing only Sidney Crosby (93) and Evgeni Malkin (83) in scoring on the team. New addition Reilly Smith is a strong candidate to ride with Crosby on the top line in Guentzel's absence at the start of the season.
Pittsburgh Penguins forward Jake Guentzel scored two goals and added a helper to defeat Ottawa by a score of 4-1 on Friday. Guentzel now has 20 goals and 22 assists in 41 games. Before Friday's contest, the centerman had only two points in five games. Against the Senators, Guentzel had five shots on goal and three shots blocked. It could be challenging for Guentzel to get back on the scoresheet in Pittsburgh's next game, as they face off against New Jersey on Sunday. The Devils have won five of six game and have allowed a combined 16 markers.
Pittsburgh Penguins left wing Jake Guentzel is expected to be in the lineup on Saturday against Seattle after sitting out Friday's practice with an illness. The talented winger has just returned from an upper-body injury, and he's been in great form, getting at least a point on the board in all three outings since his comeback. Guentzel has averaged over a point per game so far this season, getting five goals and three assists in seven games. He will assume his normal position on the top line Saturday, and this should be a great spot for Guentzel to extend his point streak, as the Kraken are weak defensively and allow over three goals per game (3.17).
Pittsburgh Penguins left wing Jake Guentzel felt sick and didn't practice on Friday. The silky winger has just returned from injury and has quickly put together a three-game point streak, but he could now be sidelined again. It's currently unknown if he can play Saturday against Seattle. Danton Heinen, who took over from Guentzel on the first line when he was injured, was once again riding with Sidney Crosby and Bryan Rust Friday. He should remain on the top line Saturday if Guentzel can't go, and that will provide a nice short-term boost for Heinen's fantasy value.
Pittsburgh Penguins left wing Jake Guentzel (upper body) was back in the lineup Saturday against Seattle, scoring the team's lone goal in a 3-1 defeat. He netted an unassisted goal in the middle of the second frame to put the Penguins 1-0 up, but Jordan Eberle quickly struck back and the Kraken ended up handing Pittsburgh its fourth consecutive loss. Mike Sullivan's men couldn't end a losing run even with Jason Zucker (undisclosed) also returning to action. Guentzel rejoined the first line and had no trouble getting through over 22 minutes of action. He's now on four goals and six points with five games played.
Pittsburgh Penguins winger Jake Guentzel (upper body) did not play Tuesday against the Calgary Flames and has now missed the last three games with an upper-body injury. He was hurt last Thursday against the Los Angeles Kings after taking a Brendan Lemieux hit up high and then being hit by a Kris Letang shot. It sounds like he is getting close to a return, but after back-to-back game-time-decision no-goes, it could be a lingering issue. The talented winger has three goals and five points in four games while playing in his usual spot on Sidney Crosby's wing this season. Obviously, fantasy managers will want to keep Guentzel stashed for when he does return.
Pittsburgh Penguins winger Jake Guentzel wasn't on the ice in Friday's practice after getting hurt late on in Thursday's 6-1 demolition job against the Kings. He scored the team's second goal in the big victory, moving on to three goals and two assists for the season. The 28-year-old is off to a very impressive start to the season and it would be a shame if he's forced to miss time. The Penguins have announced that Guenzel is joining the traveling party for a five-game road trip that kicks off Saturday in Columbus, which suggests that he isn't very seriously hurt, but it's unknown if he can play against the Blue Jackets. Danton Heinen filled Guentzel's spot on the top line in practice and his fantasy stock gets a big boost if his teammate can't go Saturday.
Pittsburgh Penguins winger Jake Guentzel continued his prolific postseason with a pair of goals in Wednesday's 5-3 loss to the Rangers. He had a game-high six shots on goal in total and saw three further efforts miss the target. Guentzel has scored in all five games in the series and boasts seven markers and eight points. The Penguins franchise record for most goals in a single playoff series stands at nine and is held by Mario Lemieux. Lemieux is also the only player in Penguins history to enjoy longer goal streaks in the playoffs, lightning the lamp in six consecutive games in 1989 and scoring in seven straight outings in 1991 and 1996.
