Updated Landing Spots for Penguins Winger Jake Guentzel 

Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas spoke to the media on Wednesday, and even though he would not commit to becoming a seller before the trade deadline that seems to be the direction things are headed. Especially as the Penguins sit seven points out of a wild-card spot with four teams between them.

No matter what their actual intentions are, their most likely trade chip remains star winger Jake Guentzel.

Not only is Guentzel their best trade chip, he is also in the final year of his current contract and headed towards unrestricted free agency in the summer. The Penguins would probably prefer to keep Guentzel, especially given his chemistry with Sidney Crosby, but contract talks seem non-existent and he is the one player that could bring them an additional first-round pick and a prospect back in return. If they are not going to make the playoffs (for the second year in a row) it seems like a necessary move. Especially without a contract extension.

Guentzel is currently sidelined with an injury and will continue to be through the trade deadline, but his timeframe to return should be soon after and it will not keep him out of the lineup for the playoffs.

So let's take an updated look at some potential landing spots for Guentzel if the Penguins decide to trade him.

The Golden Knights seem like a perfect potential landing spot for Guentzel for a number of reasons.

Not only are they looking to repeat as Stanley Cup Champions and need a spark, but they are almost always involved whenever a potential big-name trade is involved. There has never been a star player in free agency or the trade market that they didn't get involved with. They also have a pretty significant need for a goal-scoring winger on the left side of their lineup.

They have also worked to put themselves into a favorable position with the salary cap as Mark Stone and Jack Eichel are both currently sidelined, with the latter being moved to the long-term injured list in a move that will allow them to continue to bank salary cap space leading up to the trade deadline.

That newfound cap space, combined with the Vegas' need for a goal-scorer and the fact it has almost its full allotment of draft pick capital to trade from, should make the Golden Knights a serious contender for Guentzel if the Penguins commit to trading him.

The Oilers have been one of the NHL's best teams since November and are facing mounting pressure to get Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl to a Stanley Cup Final. They made a huge move at last year's trade deadline to get Mattias Ekholm and should be willing to make another big move this season if the opportunity presents itself.

When you have McDavid and Draisiatl in their primes, every season should be an all-in year.

As good as the Oilers' offense and power play is and can be, they could still use another top-six winger to help extend the depth of their lineup. Guentzel would be an ideal fit, especially given his ability to play alongside elite centers and his track record as a playoff performer.

Guentzel has not only scored at a 40-goal pace per 82 games for most of his career, he has also averaged a point-per-game for his career in the playoffs (58 points in 58 games) and scored 34 goals in 58 career postseason games. That is nearly a 50-goal pace per 82 games. The playoffs are supposed to be tougher for offense, and historically Guentzel has scored more in those games than he has in the regular season.

There are, however, two major problems regarding the Oilers as a potential landing spot.

The first is they simply do not have a ton of salary-cap space to work with and would need to figure out a way to make the math work. That is an obstacle, but not a total deterrent. There is always a way around the salary cap, whether it be Pittsburgh retaining salary (which will only increase the trade cost), Edmonton massaging its cap with LTIR or other moves, or potentially getting a third team involved.

The second is that Guentzel might be a luxury considering their other needs. They could use some additional depth on defense (do you really want Brett Kulak or Cody Ceci having to play big minutes in a playoff series against Vegas or Vancouver?) and in goal (how much do you trust Stuart Skinner without a better backup behind him?). Those needs might be more pressing and more practical to try and fill as opposed to an All-Star winger.

Edmonton has each of its next three first-round picks, as well as recent first-round picks Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg as potential trade chips.

The Colorado Avalanche are still in the middle of their peak Stanley Cup window of the Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen and Cale Makar era, so they figure to be major buyers at the trade deadline.

Despite the fact they have a top-five scoring offense, they still have a couple of big needs among their top-six forward group.

They have needed a second-line center ever since Nazem Kadri left in free agency following their 2022 Stanley Cup win, and they could also use another goal-scoring winger. Gabriel Landeskog has not played in two years, while Valeri Nichushkin may not be available for the playoffs. The bulk of their offense is coming from MacKinnon and Rantanen and for as good as they it takes more than two players to lead a team to the Stanley Cup.

The two big issues for Colorado are current salary-cap space, as well as a potential lack of trade capital. The Avalanche do have their 2024 first-round pick to deal from, but their second-round picks in 2024 and 2025 are gone, as well as their third-round pick in 2025. They also do not have a particularly deep farm system. Addressing the center spot and also adding a player like Guentzel could be asking too much.

After looking like potentially the best team in hockey through the first two months of the season the Los Angeles Kings hit a pretty big second-quarter slump that helped push them down the standings and resulted in an in-season coaching change. They are still a playoff team and have a lot of good qualities that will make them a tough out when they get there. They could still use some additional help, and their biggest need is offense.

Particularly on the wings.

The Kings are just 16th in the NHL in goals per game and have been even worse since the start of January. They defend well. They control the pace of play from a shot attempt and scoring chance perspective. They just do not finish very well. Guentzel would help solve that in a big way.

The Kings also have a big advantage over the other teams listed here because they have some pretty significant trade assets to deal from. They not only have their first-round pick, but also a pretty extensive collection of young players (Arthur Kaliyev, Alex Turcotte just to name a couple) that could be intriguing options for a Penguins team that is looking to get younger.