CRANBERRY, Pa. -- Jake Guentzel could be considered quiet.
The left wing has flown under the radar, rooted on the first line next to center Sidney Crosby through most of his eight seasons with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Since 2017-18, his first full NHL season, the 29-year-old has subtly led Pittsburgh with 182 goals in 417 games, ahead of Crosby (171) and center Evgeni Malkin (146).
Through four games this season, Guentzel has six points (one goal, five assists).
So, in this case, maybe quiet isn’t a bad thing.
“I think he’s quietly emerged as a superstar in this league,” Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan said. “I know there’s a narrative that, ‘Well, he plays with Crosby,’ which is true. And that’s a huge benefit to Jake.
“But not everybody that we put with Crosby scores 35 to 40 (goals), so I think that’s the value that Jake brings.”
That value was supposed to be missing at this point, entering a game against the St. Louis Blues at Enterprise Center in St. Louis on Saturday (8 p.m. ET; SN-PIT, BSMW). Guentzel had surgery on his right ankle Aug. 2 that expected to keep him out at least five games.
Instead, Guentzel began skating on his own when training camp opened Sept. 21. He joined practice Sept. 29, first took contact Oct. 3 and was ready for the season opener against the Chicago Blackhawks on Oct. 10.
Guentzel had at least one point in each of his first three games of a season for the first time before being held without one in a 6-3 loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Wednesday.
“Think there’s a little bit more,” Guentzel said. “I feel great, physically, but the hands are still kind of catching up. So, [I’ve] been pretty fortunate so far to get a couple points.”
Guentzel is two goals from becoming the eighth player to score 200 with Pittsburgh, after Mario Lemieux (690), Crosby (553), Malkin (474), Jaromir Jagr (439), Jean Pronovost (316), Rick Kehoe (312) and Kevin Stevens (260).
Since scoring twice in his NHL debut Nov. 21, 2016, Guentzel’s 198 goals in 457 games are fifth among American players, behind Auston Matthews (305 goals, 484 games), Kyle Connor (212 goals, 468 games), Chris Kreider (208 goals, 488 games) and Patrick Kane (200 goals, 522 games).
“He’s just found ways to continue to produce and get better,” Crosby said. “He goes to the front of the net a lot for not being the biggest guy. That's one thing that, as he continued to play and grow as a player, I think he probably added that element a little bit more.”
Guentzel and Crosby have a unique bond.
When healthy, they are rarely separated. As he does on the ice, Guentzel resides immediately to Crosby’s left in the locker room. They also co-manage a team in fantasy football.
“I’ve been pretty fortunate to be lucky enough to play alongside him for a long time,” Guentzel said. “We’ve got a good relationship. We can talk through a lot of things.”
But that isn’t the primary reason for Guentzel’s production.
“He’s going to have success with whoever he plays with,” Crosby said. “He’s a goal-scorer. He’s shown that for a while now at other levels too. He's scored wherever he’s gone. He’s always been that type of player. He was able to continue to evolve, adjust and do it at this level too.
“I don’t think it matters who he plays with. He’s confident in his game. He knows what he needs to do. He can be effective a lot of different ways. I think whoever he ends up playing with, he’s going to do what he’s going to do.”
Guentzel could be with someone else as soon as next season, though. He can become an unrestricted free agent after playing the final season of a five-year, $30 million contract signed Dec. 27, 2018.
On Oct. 9, Penguins president of hockey operations and general manager Kyle Dubas said contract discussions were not ongoing and Guentzel’s recovery from surgery was the main priority.
“I’m not too worried about it right now. I’m just playing hockey,” Guentzel said. “Obviously, something can happen whenever. But right now, I’m just trying to play hockey and not think about that too much.”
But to Sullivan, Guentzel is an indispensable extension to the Penguins’ core of Crosby, Malkin and defenseman Kris Letang.
“He’s one of the better goal-scorers in the League,” Sullivan said. “His body of work is there to prove it. He scores close to 40 goals a year. There aren’t a lot of guys that do that. … I think he has high expectations of himself.
“I think he’s proven that he can play at his best when the stakes are high. So, for all those reasons, I think his overall game has evolved. He gets better every year.”
