The Penguins have one less item to take care of this offseason. Jake Guentzel is going to be a Penguin for a long time.
The deal is the kind of contract you have to give to a good player that does good things. These are the type of non-superstar players you can get away with paying. Jake Guentzel has been a great fit with Sidney Crosby since he has turned pro. Guentzel is one of my favorite players because I enjoy his decision making process. He’s a very cerebral player in the way he passes the puck, finds soft spots on the ice, and aggressively attacks the net front. His puck skills are great. He’s the kind of player I like watching. His passing numbers are tremendous.
Guentzel certainly gets the Sidney Crosby bump with his offensive numbers, but he does a great job in that spot much like Chris Kunitz did. The salary cap is higher nowadays so the 6M isn’t too much higher than when Kunitz (3.725M) signed his extension. When Kunitz signed his first contract with the Penguins it was for 7.41% of the salary cap. Guentzel’s newest deal is 7.55% of the cap. It is very reasonable.
So far in his career Guentzel has been great offensively at even-strength. Here are his points per 60 each of his first three seasons in the NHL.
2016-17 2.88
2017-18 1.81
2018-19 3.22
Sidney Crosby bump or not he’s where he needs to be.
Since joining the Penguins on a full-time basis he ranks 9th overall among players who have played 2,000 minutes or more in GF/60 at 5v5. He scores at a rate of 1.15 per 60 minutes. Some of the names ahead of him: Auston Matthews, Jeff Skinner, Patrik Laine, James van Riemsdyk, Alex Ovechkin, Viktor Arvidsson, Anders Lee, Cam Atkinson.
Among players who have played 200 minutes in the playoffs since 2016-17 nobody has a better 5v5 goals per 60 than Jake Guentzel who scores 1.86 goals for every 60 minutes he’s on the ice. For right or wrong this stat is why he got 6M and not something in the 5M range.
Here is a comparison of another player who makes 6M. Most people think it is a great deal for Nashville
Guentzel isn’t as good as Forsberg. That isn’t what I’m trying to say. I am saying that Guentzel is similar in a lot of areas. When Forsberg signed his deal it was 8.22% of the cap.
Jake Guentzel is not a good defensive player. He doesn’t have to be. This is a good contract for the team because of his hockey acumen and natural puck skills. He is being paid to keep producing points and all signs point to a player who will. I think his style of play is a perfect fit for Sidney Crosby. He’s 23 years old and will be entering his prime. Good deal for the player. Good deal for the team. Paying good players is always OK. It’s when you waste money on the bad ones it becomes problematic. Jake Guentzel does not fit that description.
Thanks for reading!
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