Jake Guentzel injury: 3 ways for the Pittsburgh Penguins to handle leading scorer’s absence

How the Penguins can address Jake Guentzel’s absence: Add forward depth

The third route to addressing Guentzel’s absence is adding to the forward depth by signing a free agent or making a trade. The remaining pool of free agents is very light, but considering that the Penguins will need to make room for Guentzel to return later in the fall, they wouldn’t want to add a top-tier winger anyway. They just need someone to plug the hole. Plus, they need to keep the salary cap in mind.

Head coach Mike Sullivan will have to shuffle the lines around to figure out who will play on the top line, which Sidney Crosby centers. Adding some forward depth could help the Penguins get over the hump and stay afloat until Guentzel returns. At this point, who is available to play left wing?

One LW still on the market is Tomas Tatar, who is still searching for a home after the conclusion of a two-year contract with the New Jersey Devils. He scored 20 goals during the 2022-23 season but didn’t perform well during the playoffs.

Tatar is not the best choice for a top-line winger, but adding him to the roster would give the Penguins some flexibility, as he is capable of playing up and down the lineup where needed. He’s most useful in the middle six, so this move could require a little shuffling.

Fans were already hoping the Penguins would land Erik Karlsson, and now they’re pulling for this trade even more. If the trade doesn’t pan out, will the Pens add Tatar or another forward to address their offensive needs? Will they find some magic in a young prospect? Each of the answers probably requires some shuffling around. It will be interesting to see how the organization addresses the absence of Jake Guentzel as he heals from surgery.