☛ POINT SHOTS

I got a few questions this week about whether the Penguins would consider trading Jake Guentzel, pictured, before the deadline if they do not climb the standings soon.

Despite an openness from both sides to get an extension done, it hasn’t happened. You could understand if the organization is hesitant right now to commit long term to another player who will be in their 30s entering next season. But to me, keeping Guentzel is a no-brainer if you’re still trying to compete.

That said, if it becomes clear over the next two months that the gap between team and player is impossible to bridge, you would absolutely have to explore the trade market for him. You can’t let a player of that caliber go for nothing.

The Penguins need much more from Evgeni Malkin and Reilly Smith. (Right now, Valtteri Puustinen is the third wheel on that line.) The team is far too reliant on Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel to carry the scoring load at 5-on-5. Entering Saturday’s game at Ottawa, Malkin had just four even-strength points in December.

Ditto for the third line. Lars Eller has been OK as the third-line center. But Drew O’Connor, pictured at left, and Radim Zohorna have contributed little lately. O’Connor, in particular, is a disappointment. He looked good in the preseason, giving hope that he might break out. But he scored just two goals through 31 games.

Alex Nedeljkovic got the last three starts before Christmas. I assumed him getting the nod against Carolina was matchup based. Tristan Jarry is 1-4-2 all-time against the Hurricanes with a 3.45 goals-against average — his worst against any Eastern Conference team. Then Mike Sullivan started him again in Ottawa.

I’m not ready to declare that there is a full-blown goalie controversy. Overall, Jarry has been solid. But it’s obviously significant that Sullivan, not taking any of these games for granted with the Penguins buried in the standings, believes that Nedeljkovic is giving his team the best chance to win right now.