The Pittsburgh Penguins are currently 7 points out of a playoff spot. Despite the major acquisition of Erik Karlsson this summer and contract extensions for Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang in the last two years, the team has not met expectations.
The pressure is high in Pittsburgh, but unless there's a surprise, they won't make the playoffs. The time for evaluation is approaching, and it needs to happen before the trade deadline.
In the current situation, the Penguins may need to trade him before March 8 if they don't want to lose him for nothing. However, the outlook doesn't look promising in that regard either.
Guentzel got injured on Wednesday night and is being evaluated for an upper-body injury. If the injury is serious, it could be disastrous for the Pens, whether the plan is to continue fighting for the playoffs with him or to throw in the towel and trade him.
