There is big news to report and no it isn’t the one you wanted. Erik Karlsson remains a Shark and Jake Guentzel’s ankle needs repairs.
Kyle Dubas on Guentzel: “As Jake continued to increase the intensity of his preparation for the upcoming season, it was apparent that his ankle injury was not resolving in a way that was satisfactory to he or the Penguins. In collaboration with Jake - his representative Ben…
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) August 4, 2023
Given how the team is constructed (top heavy) this is a big blow to start the season. His recovery time puts him at the end of October/early November. While the news isn’t good it does allow for Guentzel to get right for the lion’s share of the season. Better to take care of it now and actually fix the issue then do the classic hockey thing of playing through something and as a result hampering ability for the entire season.
It will be necessary for the Penguins to start the year on solid footing and at least maintain pace with other playoff teams. Offensively, it won’t be easy. Kyle Dubas did improve the overall depth of the team this offseason. He also focused on the defensive side of things with his 3rd and 4th line signings. They will be more competent than last year’s group. Their strength will be territorial advantage more so than putting up goals. Yet another reason the Erik Karlsson trade is so important to the Penguins.
The Penguins are now cap compliant with Guentzel’s LTIR relief. The relief will only last for about a month of the season. This should have absolutely no impact on their thought process for Mikael Granlund. If you were thinking about buying him out or paying somebody via trade to take on his contract it should still be on the table. With Guentzel’s contract coming back in November you still need space and Granlund is the most obvious contract to make that space.
Bummer news overall. Here’s to seeing Jake sooner than later.
Thanks for reading!