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Jake Guentzel throws the Pittsburgh Penguins under the bus in new interview


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Tom Banks
September 27, 2024  (7:03 PM)
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Former Pittsburgh Penguins star Jake Guentzel.
Photo credit: NLHPA

Jake Guentzel hasn't been shy about throwing shade at his former team since leaving, and now he's taking more shots at the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The Pittsburgh Penguins had a massive decision to make at the 2024 NHL trade deadline, and on the final day in the final hours, they ultimately decided to trade Jake Guentzel to the Carolina Hurricanes. After years of stellar performances for the team and helping them to the Stanley Cup, the young winger was gone, and after departing, he revealed that it wasn't what he wanted at all.
«Staying in Pittsburgh was always the goal,» he said. «That's very fair to say. I told Hank at the beginning of last year, ‘Let's get something done. This is where I want to be.'»

Despite the loyalty he had shown to his team after being drafted No. 77 overall back in 2013, Kyle Dubas, who wasn't the General Manager at the time ultimately didn't listen, and Guentzel has now opened up on what an awakening that was for him.
«You realize that it's a business really fast,» Guentzel said.
This move didn't just effect Guentzel however, as his longtime linemate and captain Sidney Crosby didn't appear too happy when the move was made either, as he was then asked what message Dubas was sending to the team with this deal.
«I don't know,» Crosby said, visibly upset. «That's probably a better question for them.»

The now veteran winger ended up signing a massive deal in Tampa Bay this summer, and with the likes of Victor Hedman and Nikita Kucherov leading the way, the pressure is on for them to win the third Stanley Cup during this current era. It's unclear why Pittsburgh wanted to move on from Guentzel so badly, but he could have been a Penguin for a long time and seemingly wanted to be, so now we will see what happens when he returns to the city he used to call home during the regular season.