Considering Jordan Eberle and Jake Guentzel as potential trade possibilities for the Edmonton Oilers
The likelihood that the Edmonton Oilers will upgrade at the deadline is growing.
The crucial query is, though, what will they improve.
We examine Edmonton’s needs and players from a certain team who can meet those needs in our Meet the Sellers series. A scoring winger is one such requirement, and TSN’s Chris Johnston has long since connected Edmonton with two.
Pierre LeBrun and Johnston talked about potential transactions that might be made soon on February 1. Johnston mentioned that he thinks the Oilers want to add an impact after the market matures. Johnston included Jake from Pittsburgh.
Johnston has already linked Edmonton to those players; on his own program in late January, he brought up Guentzel, Eberle, and another former Oiler, David Perron, as possible targets.When he and LeBrun played matchmaker in late December, Johnston reiterated his belief that Guentzel would be a fantastic fit for the Oilers.
What then attracts me so much about Guentzel? The 29-year-old left winger is on pace to finish the season with 39 goals and 87 points, the latter of which would be a career record and the former of which would be one goal short of that total. This season, he has scored 22 goals and 49 points.
Guentzel is a superb scorer, having reached the 40-goal mark twice, a 30-goal campaign, and numerous 20-goal games.
The Penguins had played 46 games as of the afternoon of February 6. They have 51 points. Despite having three games remaining, they are seven points ahead of the Detroit Red Wings. Similarly, they share a tie with the Washington Capitals and New Jersey Devils, two clubs that may also contend for a place.
The Penguins could be wise to deal the upcoming unrestricted free agent because Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin might not be around for very long. When Crosby and Malkin eventually depart and the organization begins to rebuild, signing Guentzel to a long-term contract might have an effect.
The Penguins could find it prudent to retool at the deadline this year, acquire a few prospects and draft selections, and then try again the following season. The team’s long-term prospects could be impacted if Guentzel is allowed to walk in an effort to fight for a postseason spot.
Guentzel will have an unrestricted free agency status at the conclusion of the season and has a $6 million cap hit this season, according to Puckpedia. Furthermore, it’s unclear if Edmonton is one of the 12 teams covered by the Omaha, Nebraska native’s 12-team no-trade rule.
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Uncertainty surrounds his situation lately, and the Penguins would undoubtedly like to re-sign him. Nick Kypreos claims that Guentzel turned down a six-year, $8.5 million contract. David Pagnotta, nevertheless
