Golden Knights Would Be Best Fit for Penguins’ Jake Guentzel amid NHL Trade Rumors

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Jake Guentzel has never played for an NHL team other than the Pittsburgh Penguins. His entire eight-year career has been spent with the franchise that selected him in the third round of the 2013 draft.

That might change before Friday at 3 p.m. ET, which is the NHL trade deadline for the 2023-24 season.

According to Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic, it’s believed the Penguins have a “very clear sense” of what they need to do before the deadline, and the assumption is they’ll be sellers. Pittsburgh is “exploring all options” in order to “bolster the club for the future,” per LeBrun.

If the Pens decide they want to move Guentzel, they shouldn’t have trouble finding a trade partner. LeBrun reported there “six-plus legit suitors,” a group that includes both the Vancouver Canucks and the Vegas Golden Knights.

Guentzel would bolster the offense of any NHL team. But the Golden Knights may be the Stanley Cup contender that could use the 29-year-old center the most, which is why Vegas is the best fit.

It wouldn’t be a long-term move. Guentzel is set to become an unrestricted free agent after the season, and the Golden Knights likely won’t have the cap space to re-sign him. However, they could go on a deep playoff run and possibly even win a second straight Stanley Cup if they upgrade their offense.

Vegas is without captain Mark Stone for at least the rest of the regular season. The 31-year-old is an integral part of the team’s core, so it hurts the Golden Knights to not have him in the lineup.

Jack Eichel returned from a knee injury on Monday, when Vegas lost 6-3 to the Columbus Blue Jackets. He’ll provide a boost, but the Golden Knights need to get going after losing six of their past seven games and eight of their past 10.

Guentzel is having another stellar season in Pittsburgh. He has tallied 22 goals and 30 assists for 52 points in 50 games. After recording 84 points in 2021-22 and 73 in 2022-23, he should finish with a big total again this year.

Vegas has to be enticed by the idea of pairing Guentzel with Eichel to form a potent offensive duo for the rest of this season. A move like that could help the Golden Knights have more postseason success.

Even though Guentzel would likely be a rental, the cost could be high. But it could be well worth it for Vegas to pay up if it believes he can help lead it to another Cup.

The Golden Knights may have to outbid numerous other teams, considering the recent rumors of the high interest in Guentzel. And they shouldn’t completely mortgage the future to pull off a trade. But they should be aggressive, as it would make a ton of sense for Guentzel to go to Vegas.