Jake Guentzel takes final shot at Kyle Dubas after game in Pittsburgh

The Pittsburgh Penguins were hosting the Carolina Hurricanes last night and offered a beautiful tribute to their former teammate Jake Guentzel, who was shipped to Raleigh at the trade deadline. The Penguins then focused on the game and won 4-1 in a desperate push for the postseason.

After the game, Guentzel’s disappointment was linked to how his time ended in Pittsburgh, and not how his Hurricanes lost the contest. The star forward confirmed that he never wanted to leave Pittsburgh, the place “where I kind of grew up.”

Guentzel took a final shot at his former general manager Kyle Dubas, who had met with him prior the trade deadline to inform him he was likely on his way out of Pittsburgh.

“My intention was to stay,” Guentzel said. “But they just thought there was a better direction to go, a different way. It’s out of my hands. It’s not my choice.”

The loss of Guentzel has been brutal on the Penguins, who had lost nine of 11 games since the forward’s trade to Carolina.
Before the game, captain Sidney Crosby was visibly nostalgic when speaking about his former teammate.

“We sat next to each other, played together,” Crosby said of Guentzel. “Winning the Stanley Cup, there’s always a unique bond when you do that together. Besides that, the length of time and some of the memories over the years, definitely a strong [connection].”

I guess the Penguins’ 4-1 win over the Canes has made it more bearable on Crosby. All of Guentzel’s former teammates celebrated his return and offered him a warm ovation during his video tribute.

There have been rumours that Guentzel could return to Pittsburgh as a free agent this summer. And he sure send Dubas a clear message about that on Tuesday night.

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