The Monahan Trade's Ripple Effect on the Penguins and Jake Guentzel Unveiled

The NHL trade market has just really begun, and the Penguins with Jake Guentzel have some things to consider now.

In an offhanded 'comment' on his Friday Sportsnet 590 show, host Nick Kypreos send social media into a frenzy of further speculations mentioning that the Penguins put a six-year, $50 million contract in front of Guentzel, that he has not signed.

Nick Kypreos reveals the potential massive offer rejected by Jake Guentzel https://t.co/579PLnbGlP #NHL #Hockey #NHLNEWS— Over The Boards Hockey (@HockeyOTBoards) February 2, 2024

This was not an actual report, the former National Hockey Night in Canada analyst was doing just that, analyzing. But he does have significant inroads in the hockey community.


On Friday night, another piece to the possible Guentzel puzzle dropped when the Montreal Canadiens traded Sean Monahan to the Winnipeg Jets. Winnipeg gave up a 2024 first round draft pick and a conditional 2027 third-rounder.

So now, the thoughts go back to the Penguins. What could Kyle Dubas actually get for Jake Guentzel?

The thought that Jake Guentzel has a $50 million dollar offer on the table that he did not sign, does not feel right. He might be able to get a little more on the free market. But there is also something other teams may be considering - Guentzel's numbers. They could really be inflated because he is on the line with Sidney Crosby.

Pittsburgh goal!

Scored by Jake Guentzel with 09:57 remaining in the 3rd period.

Assisted by Sidney Crosby and Marcus Pettersson.

Pittsburgh: 2
Montreal: 2#MTLvsPIT #LetsGoPens #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/MTcQX0r0Cb— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) January 28, 2024

Looking first at what Montreal really did get for Monahan is interesting. A first rounder, that based on where Winnipeg is in the standings is really like the 22-32 pick. And a conditional pick....in three years. It is tough to compare Monahan to Guentzel, as he is not a top line forward.

Earlier this week the Calgary Flames traded Elias Lindholm to the Vancouver Canucks. Now, his value is something similar to Guentzel, if not higher. For Lindholm, Calgary received a 2024 first round pick from a top Western Conference team, 27-year-old second-year NHL ready player in Andrei Kuzmenko, a conditional fourth rounder, and defenseman prospects Hunter Brzustewicz and Joni Jurmo.

Kuzmenko was a 74-point player in his first NHL year. But this year has not been consistently in the starting lineup and has 21 points in 43 games played. So the Flames scored a late first-rounder, a struggling winger, and two mid-level prospects who don't project to be top-four defensemen.

The big question is, would it be better for the Penguins' retooling to snare a late first-round pick (with a one-third chance or less to be impactful) and a lesser player OR the salary cap space to apply to next season?

I would go with the latter.

The market is set with the Monahan deal. If the Penguins want to make the playoffs this year, Guentzel gives them the best chance. The difference between Montreal, Calgary and the Penguins are that the other two teams are not trying to win now.

With the market value now set, the Penguins and the fans should not be looking at trading Guentzel to be the miracle they need.

As Read On: Pittsburgh Hockey Now - How Monahan Trade Affects Penguins, Jake Guentzel; A Full Analysis