Pittsburgh Penguins sign Jake Guentzel to five-year extension

The Pittsburgh Penguins announced they have re-signed Jake Guentzel to a five-year contract worth $30 million. What does this mean for the Penguins?

Jake Guentzel started his NHL career with the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2016-17 season and played pretty well. In 40 regular season games, he had 33 points (16 goals and 17 assists). However, it wasn’t until the playoffs when he showed off his true colors. The Penguins have announced Guentzel has signed a five-year deal worth $30 million.

During the Penguins, 2017 Stanley Cup run, Guentzel dominated and had the entire fan base buzzing about the young phenom. At 22 years old, he lead the playoffs in goals (13) and now holds the rookie record for most game-winning goals in the playoffs (five). In 25 playoff games, he had 21 points which is unbelievable production from a rookie.

The next season he continued his production and played his first full NHL season. He recorded 48 points (22 goals and 26 assists) and saw an increase in his minutes as head coach Mike Sullivan started to use him more.

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In the 2018 playoffs, he put up 21 points again, but this time in less than half the games from the previous season. Guentzel had 10 goals and 11 assists in 12 games played and was tied with Sidney Crosby in playoff point production.

He may be a solid player in the regular season, but when the playoffs roll around, he has shown that he can push himself an extra gear. Guentzel’s numbers, combined with superstar talents like Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Phil Kessel make the Penguins a constant Stanley Cup threat for the years to come. He is only 24 years old and has not hit his ceiling yet. It will be fascinating to see what kind of player he becomes.

Signing him to a five-year deal that averages out to $6 million a season is a solid bet. If you look around the league to see players who are paid that kind of money, it makes Guentzel’s contract reasonable. Nikolaj Ehlers, Kyle Turris, and Filip Forsberg all make $6 million and in terms of production, they are pretty close.

Ehlers puts up huge offensive numbers at a young age, but Guentzel still has a lot of room to grow as well. This season, he has seen an almost 3-minute increase in ice time (18:41) compared to his previous season of 16:29. His role on the team is expanding and playing on a line with Crosby certainly helps his numbers. In 36 games so far, he already has 33 points and is on pace for 75 points, shattering his previous career high.

The new contract he signed is not for present production, it’s a representation of what kind of player the Penguins project him to be. As he continues his NHL career and gains more experience, his production will grow as well. Besides, as long as he continues his ridiculous postseason performances, he will be worth every penny.

This signing is a slam dunk for the Penguins as they continue to show the league what a true modern-day NHL dynasty looks like. After every season, they retool, add young pieces to compliment their veterans and gear up for another run at the Cup. They now have Guentzel signed right through his prime which gives them yet another weapon to use when April comes around.