The Edmonton Oilers have had one of the most interesting campaigns this season. They started their 2023-24 campaign with a 3-9-1 record which led to them firing Jay Woodcroft and Dave Manson and replacing them with Kris Knoblauch and Paul Coffey. It also led to the American Hockey League (AHL) demotion of goaltender Jack Campbell who was replaced by Calvin Pickard. Now that the Oilers have bounced back in a big way — having recently gone on a 16-game winning streak which was snapped by the Vegas Golden Knights— they will likely look to go all-in at the 2024 Trade Deadline and bring in some assets to bolster their roster heading into the postseason. One player they could look at is a Pittsburgh Penguins forward who hasn’t been given a contract extension yet, leading to trade rumours.
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Jake Guentzel has been a massive part of the Penguins’ success over the past several seasons and while the team has been underperforming, he remains one of the most elite players not only on his team but in the NHL. His offensive production is something any team in the NHL would be happy to bring in, but the Oilers should be looking to grab him. While there haven’t been any indications that the Penguins are willing to trade him and would rather work on keeping him around, the Oilers should be preparing an all-in trade package to bring him to Edmonton.
The Oilers’ main priority should be to bolster their lineup heading into the trade deadline, whether that’s improving the defensive core or adding depth to the top-six forward group. Guentzel would be the perfect addition to the Oilers and even as a rental, would be someone who could make a difference and help be the impact player who pushes the Oilers over the edge and into the championship contender category.
Who Is Jake Guentzel?
Guentzel is a 29-year-old left-shot forward from Omaha, Nebraska who stands 5-foot-11, weighs 181 pounds, and was drafted by the Penguins in the third round of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft at 77th overall after a strong season in the United States Hockey League (USHL) with the Sioux City Musketeers where he scored 29 goals and added 44 assists for 73 points through 60 games. He would join the University of Nebraska-Omaha in the NCAA the following season and remained there until the conclusion of the 2015-16 season. Over three seasons in the NCAA, Guentzel scored 40 goals and added 79 assists for 119 points through 108 games which comes out to a 1.10 points-per-game average.
To conclude the 2015-16 season, Guentzel played 11 games in the American Hockey League with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins where he scored two goals and added four assists for six points. He would get his first taste of NHL action in the 2016-17 season where he played 40 games scoring 16 goals and adding 17 assists for 33 points. The 2017-18 season was his first full season in the NHL, where he scored 22 goals and added 26 assists for 48 points through 82 games. He exploded offensively in the 2018-19 season, scoring 40 goals and adding 36 assists for 76 points through 82 games.
At the time of this article, Guentzel has scored 219 goals and added 246 assists for 465 points through 502 games in his NHL career which comes out to a 0.93 points-per-game average. His offensive ability has proven to be his best asset at both even strength and on the man advantage, and he’s someone who could make a difference for the Oilers no matter where they put him in the lineup.
Bringing Guentzel in would likely boost the Oilers’ second power-play unit, and would likely make their top-six the most dangerous forward group in the NHL. Unfortunately, there is the risk of Guentzel going elsewhere as an unrestricted free agent — he is on the last year of a five-year contract that pays him $6 million annually — but the Oilers should still go all-in for a player of his caliber. If he can help lead the team to a Stanley Cup, there’s no issue with him leaving after this season.
What Would A Trade For Guentzel Look Like?
The Oilers will still have to pay a premium for Guentzel, regardless of whether or not an extension is attached if the two teams make a trade. Theoretically, a trade for Guentzel looks like the Oilers acquiring Guentzel in exchange for Cody Ceci, Philip Broberg, a 2024 first-round pick, and a 2025 third-round pick. Moving out two defenders for a forward is risky, but it’s something the Oilers need to do to get better up front. Hopefully, if they make this deal, they have a separate trade lined up for a defenceman to replace Ceci on the right side. I wouldn’t pass this deal up, but they still need to consider the lack of depth on the right side of the blue line.
Hopefully, the Oilers and Penguins can get a deal for Guentzel done. This would be a massive addition for the Oilers and would likely lead them to a Stanley Cup. While nothing is guaranteed, adding Guentzel would give them the best opportunity to win it all.