New Info Further Proves Why the Penguins Should Keep Guentzel

Rumours Swirl about Guentzel's Future in Pittsburgh

Over the past few weeks, there has been countless articles, rumours and mock trades regarding Jake Guentzel and his future.

The pending free agent is enjoying one of the best seasons of his career while playing with the red hot Sidney Crosby. The consensus on what should be done about Jake Guentzel seems to be quite divided, between the people who want to keep him and the people who think he should be traded to help the Penguins future.

Regardless, if the Penguins were to move Guentzel, their playoff chances would be severely affected. This analysis from Big Head Hockey shows exactly how dominant the Penguins first line has been.

Trading Guentzel May Mean Breaking up the Best First Line in the NHL

It's no secret that Guentzel has been the preferred line mate of Crosby for the last few years and I think that breaking them
up could have a serious negative impact on the Penguins. We could see decreased performance from Crosby with Guentzel out of town.

The next consideration would have to be who would be able to replace Guentzel? In the event that the Penguins didn't want to hang on to Jake and put him up for trade, I think the return would have to be huge.

I think a hypothetical deal would need to include a solid top 6 guy, high draft picks and likely some prospects. Not only is Guentzel having a great season, he's also a proven playoff performer. Which is something a contender is willing to pay big for.

More to come as the deadline inches closer.