The Pittsburgh Penguins will be without one of their top offensive weapons for the rest of the season. Jake Guentzel has undergone shoulder surgery after suffering an injury last night and is expected to be out for four to six months.
Guentzel, 25, had taken his game to another level this season, leading the Penguins in scoring through the first part of the season with 43 points in 39 games. His presence at the top of the lineup had been the only real constant this season as Pittsburgh dealt with injuries to almost every other impact player, including Sidney Crosby who remains out. Guentzel had been rewarded with his first All-Star appearance, though obviously he now will not be able to attend (or, at least play).
This is just the latest in a brutal string of injuries for Pittsburgh, and yet the team continues to stay near the top of the standings in the Metropolitan Division. Thanks to a successful makeshift lineup and strong goaltending, the group sits in second place with a 24-11-4 record and only seven points behind the Eastern Conference-leading Washington Capitals. In fact, Pittsburgh is on an 8-2 run in their last ten and now have the second best goal differential in the entire NHL.
Losing Guentzel for the rest of the year though will hurt dearly, as the young forward was averaging nearly 21 minutes a night and had turned into a real star in this league. A recovery period of four months would potentially allow him to return for some playoff action, but the team may have to try and win the Stanley Cup without Guentzel this season.
Absolutely horrible.
I was listening to the Pens’ side on interweb radio last night when that happened. Bourquey sounded like he was going to puke through the radio, since he was at ice level. He knew it was bad. The past couple of weeks, in particular, have been brutal for serious injuries.
Makes it worse considering the chemistry he had with rust and Malkin.
And when the guys stated that was one of, if not the best, lines in the league in recent weeks, it was definitely not homer-ism. They’ve been smokin’, as evidenced by Malkin’s comment recently when, in a media scrum, the fire alarm in the building (didn’t hear which one) went off, and he said “I’m on fire!” Now, if we can just get him to cut a couple of hundred “likes” out of his scrums…
It’s a shame. Love Jake, but Jimmy R better go make a move for a winger. (With what cap space though? Lol)
They just gained the cap space from Jake’s $6M for the rest of the year with him on LTIR
Yeah I watched the game and when I saw him hit the wall like that I cringed. I knew it was bad when I saw his shoulder slumped down way below the other one. Hopefully he gets back sooner rather than later. Wish him nothing but the best and a speedy recovery.
Super lame, but pick up the pieces. Use the cap space and go get Kreider.