The Penguins and Jake Guentzel have not made progress on extension talks, reports Chris Johnston of The Athletic (subscription link). The 29-year-old is a pending unrestricted free agent and is on pace for a career-high 89 points after recording 36 and 40 goals over the past two seasons. Currently on a contract that carries a $6MM AAV, he certainly has been a value contract for Pittsburgh during that time and he’s well-positioned to make a few million per season more on a long-term deal. With the Penguins currently on the outside looking in at a playoff spot, Johnston suggests it would be difficult to see GM Kyle Dubas letting him go straight to free agency unsigned in July. If that’s the case, he’d be a significant addition to the trade market closer to the March 8 trade deadline.
More from Pittsburgh:
- After clearing waivers yesterday, the Penguins didn’t immediately send Ryan Shea down to the minors which was a bit odd. However, it was a short-term decision to keep him up as Pittsburgh has now loaned him to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, per the AHL’s transactions log. The 27-year-old has played his first 22 career NHL games this season, averaging 12:28 per night and figures to have a more prominent role in the AHL after putting up 60 points combined over the last two seasons.
- Pittsburgh Hockey Now’s Dan Kingerski wonders if the Penguins could be a dark horse team to watch for on the trade market. If they don’t wind up re-signing Guentzel and the salary cap goes up as expected, they could have the flexibility to add another big contract over the summer, even after taking on the bulk of Erik Karlsson’s deal this past offseason. Accordingly, that could make them a player for an impact rental player on a possible sign-and-trade deal or one with some term remaining in the coming weeks.