Penguins expect Guentzel back early in season after surgery
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Pittsburgh Penguins president and general manager Kyle Dubas is confident Jake Guentzel will return early in the season after undergoing ankle surgery last week.
"We'll miss him for the first couple games of the year, but then he'll be back to the Jake we know, which I think is the best solution for all of us," Dubas said, per NHL.com.
"Around five games is kind of the projected number, but it's medical, so you never want to put a lock on that because we always have got to do what is right for him," Dubas added. "We're hopeful it goes well, of course, but we want to make sure he is 100 per cent ready to roll when he comes back."
When he returns, the 28-year-old winger will join a retooled Penguins roster that now includes three-time Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson after Sunday's blockbuster trade. Pittsburgh also added Reilly Smith, Lars Eller, Noel Acciari and Ryan Graves among their off-season moves.
Guentzel posted 36 goals and 73 points in 78 games last season, being named All-Star for the second time in his career.
In 453 career games with the Penguins, Guentzel has 197 goals and 217 assists.
Selected 77th overall in the 2013 draft out of the USHL's Sioux City Musketeers, Guentzel was a member of the Penguins, 2017 Stanley Cup-winning team.
He is entering the final year of a five-year, $30 million deal and is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, 2024.