Per Pierre LeBrun, the Rangers and Jake Guentzel might make a decent match at the trade deadline. Naturally, this only comes to fruition if many pieces come together, like Pittsburgh both being unable to re-sign Guentzel and falling so far out of the playoff race that they become sellers.
The Penguins’ 7-0 demolition of the Isles the other night was a step in the right direction, but they need to make up 5 points (with a game in hand) to catch the Islanders and the #4 spot in the Metro, and 6 points to get to the #3 spot, assuming the Flyers fall off as well. Doable, but tough with the loser point.
It’s assumed the Penguins also want to re-sign Guentzel, since they have the cap space and are clearly trying for one more run at a Cup. Of course, they can go the Keith Tkachuk route and just trade him at the deadline and re-sign him in the offseason, but we shall see if that happens.
As for trade cost, top-six wingers usually fetch a high draft pick and a prospect, with the draft pick dependent on the quality of the prospect. I’d presume the Penguins would want Zac Jones and a pick, but it’s fair to say the Rangers may want to use Matthew Robertson in a trade for a rental.
In theory, Robertson would be a better fit since the Penguins already have Erik Karlsson, Kris Letang, and Ryan Graves as puck movers. Would the Penguins take Robertson and a 2024 2nd round pick? Possibly, but it depends on the demand for Guentzel, which would be high if the Penguins dangle him. The Penguins would need to retain salary, even if the Rangers use Filip Chytil’s LTIR space.
For what it’s worth, it’s unlikely the Rangers deal Adam Sykora, Brett Berard, or Bryce McConnell-Barker for a pure rental. They aren’t trading Brennan Othmann or Gabe Perreault at all.
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