Jake Guentzel's season appeared to be over on December 30. The Penguins' appeared to conclude on March 10. Thankfully, neither of those may be true anymore.
During a question/answer session on Tuesday afternoon, Rob Rossi of The Athletic said, "All indications point toward Jake Guentzel being healthy and ready to go for the Pittsburgh Penguins if the season resumed at some point in or after June."
This would be an offensive shot in the arm for a Penguins team looking to win their third Stanley Cup in the last five seasons.
In 39 games played during the 2019-2020 season, Guentzel registered 20 goals and 23 assists. Six of those goals came while Pittsburgh was on the powerplay.
During a December 30 contest with the Ottawa Senators, the Penguins led by a 4-2 score with just over 13 minutes remaining. Coming down on a rush, Bryan Rust relayed the puck to Evgeni Malkin, who found Guentzel with a wide open net, as Ottawa goaltender Marcus Hogberg had drifted towards Malkin. Guentzel put the puck in, but what followed was simply painful to watch.
Guentzel collided with Ottawa defenseman Thomas Chabot and proceeded to crash directly into the end boards behind Ottawa's net. Guentzel's injury required shoulder surgery, which dictated that he would be out for four to six months and would ultimately miss the rest of the 2019-2020 regular season, but could have returned for the later rounds of the Stanley Cup Playoffs if the Penguins had advanced that far.
On March 12, just two days off the heels of a victory in Newark over the New Jersey Devils, the Penguins were set to play in front of an empty Nationwide Arena vs the Columbus Blue Jackets, as Ohio governor Mike DeWine ordered that all mass gatherings be held without spectators. Hours before puck drop, the game was postponed, and the season was suspended until further notice due to the coronavirus pandemic.
A National Hockey League game has not been played since March 11, when Ottawa was defeated by the Los Angeles Kings at Staples Center.
The league is considering many options for returning. It was initially reported that the league was considering playing in neutral arenas in states such as North Dakota and New Hampshire, but that idea was scrapped.
Currently, the league is contemplating using hub cities that have not been drastically impacted by the pandemic. Pittsburgh is among the cities being considered.
When the league decides to return, they will have to determine whether or not they will complete the remainder of the regular season or jump straight into the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Penguins currently sit in third place in the Metropolitan Division with 86 points and 13 regular season games remaining. If the playoffs started immediately, Pittsburgh would matchup with the cross-state rival Philadelphia Flyers, who are in second place with 89 points. If the regular season does resume, first place is not out of reach, as the Washington Capitals sit at the top with 90 points.
The Penguins and Flyers last met in the Stanley Cup Playoffs in the 2018 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. The Penguins won the series in six games.
Guentzel's surgery, which occurred right as the calendar flipped to 2020, would line him up to be able to return to action between the months of May and July, with June being the mediating date. If the season does not resume until June/July, as expected, it would clearly line Guentzel up to return to the lineup.
Pittsburgh tried to replace Guentzel's offensive production by acquiring Jason Zucker (via Minnesota), Patrick Marleau (via San Jose), Conor Sheary (Buffalo) and Evan Rodrigues (Buffalo) in the month of February, but his pure talent could not be replicated.
In the eleven games prior to the season's suspension, the Penguins lost eight. This included a six-game losing streak between February 20th and February 29th. The losing streak was snapped when the Penguins defeated the Ottawa Senators at PPG Paints Arena on March 3rd.
Across three Stanley Cup Playoffs, Guentzel has shown his flare for the dramatic.
In 41 playoff games, Guentzel has registered 24 goals and 19 assists. This includes a 3rd period game-winning goal in Game 1 of the 2017 Stanley Cup Final vs the Nashville Predators, in addition to a four-goal, series-clinching performance vs the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2018 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals.
The Pittsburgh Penguins are looking to win the franchise's sixth Stanley Cup, and their first since 2017. In 2018, they were defeated in six games by the Washington Capitals in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. In 2019, the Penguins were swept by the New York Islanders in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals.
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