Guentzel’s health is a big unknown
Remains to be seen how he looks on ice
Phase 3 will provide more clues
With the NHL targeting Monday for the start of full-squad training camps in Phase 3 of its return-to-play plan, Penguins beat reporters Matt Vensel and Mike DeFabo are counting down the days until Penguins Camp Part Deux by examining some of the key questions that will be waiting when the Penguins hit the ice:
• Jake Guentzel’s first All-Star season very nearly ended on the same day he learned of the honor. After he flew shoulder-first into the boards Dec. 30, the rehabilitation was expected to keep the left winger out for 4-6 months. During a normal season, that meant he wouldn’t have been back in uniform until about the Eastern Conference final. Certainly, there was no guarantee the Penguins wouldn’t be playing golf by then.
But if the past four months have come with any sort of silver lining for the Penguins and their fans, it’s that the pause has given Guentzel several key months to get closer to full strength. By the time the puck drops for the first game of the qualifying round Aug. 1, he’ll be more than seven months into his recovery.
So, while we can finally can stop asking if Guentzel will be back, it’s time to move on to the next question: Which version will the Penguins get?
Guetnzel’s previous touch on the puck was a goal. What will his next touch look like?
“I’m trying to get back to pre-injury [level] as much as I can,” he said in Phase 2. “There’s always that doubt. You never know what’s going to happen with an injury, any sort of injury. I’m committed to putting myself in the best possible position that I can.”
The Penguins have confidence in their team of doctors, as well as in their training staff. Still, the collision that rattled the boards and sent shockwaves down the lineup was violent. No one knows for sure how an athlete will respond, physically and mentally, to something like that.
Will he still have the same zip on his slap shot? Will he be as fearless going into the corner? Will the surgically repaired shoulder cause additional complications in a rugged playoff run?
To this point, the only glimpses of
Guentzel have been brief videos from the team. But training camp will be opened to the media, which should begin to offer some answers. Still, it’s impossible to answer any of these questions with certainty until the puck is dropped for Game 1 of the qualifying round.
One thing that works to Guentzel’s advantage is his style of play. Listed at 5 feet 11 and 185 pounds, Guentzel is not the biggest or strongest player. He’s a good skater, but not the fastest. And the puck doesn’t explode off his stick the way it does other bombers.
Instead, what made Guentzel a 40-goal scorer in 2018-19 and an All-Star this year is his elite-level hockey sense. No matter how his body is feeling or what challenges might come with jumping directly into playoff-intensity hockey after seven months on the shelf, it won’t change the fact that Guentzel can think the game at another level.
Odds are, the Penguins will start the qualifying round against Montreal with Guentzel playing in his familiar spot on Sidney Crosby’s left wing. Conor Sheary, a deadline-day acquisition, is the most likely candidate to be the third wheel, same as he was in the 2017 Cup run. Those three worked out together during Phase 2, which probably isn’t a coincidence.
“Obviously my first year we had a lot of fun playing together,” Guentzel said. “It was kind of cool that ‘Sid and the Kids’ got a little name going around. … It would be an awesome experience again.”
Time will tell if they’re all healthy enough to reclaim some of that magic.