3 reasons Jake Guentzel would be an outstanding addition for the Oilers
The right trade would make Guentzel another long-term asset
Jake Guentzel will command a long-term deal that supersedes the AAV of $6 million that he had been making over the past five seasons, and his contract situation is one of a few reasons that may deter the Oilers from wanting to acquire him. We talked earlier about their lack of cap space and how trading someone like Cody Ceci could free things up in the short term, but the Oilers would also want to lock Guentzel in as a long-term asset if they traded for him.
It would make little sense to trade a player like Ceci and other assets to Pittsburgh only to bring in Guentzel for about 20 games, then let him walk in free agency. A better solution would be to think long-term regarding a potential trade, and that would involve an extension for McDavid at some point in his contract year of 2025-26 and one for Draisaitl and Bouchard next season.
However, the Oilers also have seven players slated to be unrestricted free agents, with at least two on seven-figure salaries. In a trade that involves Ceci, plus electing to let those free agents walk, Edmonton’s front office would find a way to make everything work, allowing them to strike deals with all the aforementioned players in this section, plus Guentzel.
It’s also worth noting that other key assets like Darnell Nurse, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Zach Hyman are on long-term deals. Guentzel would be another epic piece of the puzzle should the Oilers make the right moves, setting the stage for a sensational latter half of the decade.
feed
(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference as of February 25th)