Jake Guentzel had surgery on his right ankle that will keep him out for the start of the upcoming season. The surgery was successfully done on August 2nd. The Pittsburgh Penguins left wing is scheduled to be reevaluated after 12 weeks of recovery.
Pittsburgh General Manager, Kyle Dubas, said, “As Jake continued to increase the intensity of his preparation for the upcoming season, it was apparent that his ankle injury was not resolving in a way that was satisfactory to he or the Penguins.” Dubas continued by saying, “In collaboration with Jake – his representative Ben Hankinson of Octagon Sports, the Penguins medical team led by Dr. Dharmesh Vyas of UPMC Sports Medicine, and Dr. Coetzee – it was decided that surgery would be the best way to ensure Jake would be at his best in 2023-2024.”
Jake Guentzel was the 16th pick of the 3rd round in the 2013 NHL draft. The University of Nebraska-Omaha recruit would get his first start for the Penguins in November of 2016. Guentzel would score on his first shot on his first shift in his NHL debut. The Penguins would go on to win the Stanley Cup that same year, with Guentzel being a key contributor to their run. In 25 playoff games, Guentzel scored 13 goals and 8 assists for a total of 21 points that postseason.
Since then, Guentzel has been a starter for Pittsburgh for the last 7 seasons. In his career, Guentzel has 197 goals, 217 assists, totaling in 414 regular season points. After his rookie season, Guentzel has been a consistent scorer for the Penguins. Since 2017, Guentzel has scored at least 20 goals during the regular season. Last year, Guentzel had 36 goals and 37 assists, for a combined 73 points.
The Penguins finished last season with a 40-31-11 record. Pittsburgh placed 5th in the Metropolitan Division, and missed the playoffs by a single point. This marked the first time that the Penguins had missed the playoffs in 16 seasons, which was the longest active streak in the NHL.
Pittsburgh’s season starts October 10th against the Chicago Blackhawks.
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