SPECULATION: Sign Guentzel? Why It Makes Sense, Doesn’t Make Sense for Sharks

Could the San Jose Sharks sign Jake Guentzel?

Consider that highly, highly unlikely…but yesterday, Jeff Marek made that admittedly wild prediction on his eponymous show.

Marek stuck his neck out in a conversation with Elliotte Friedman, who shared his own bold prediction, that the Chicago Blackhawks would land Guentzel.

On the surface, both predictions make some sense, however off the wall that they appear. Both San Jose and Chicago need to surround their young franchise faces, Macklin Celebrini and Connor Bedard, respectively, with talent, so they don’t have to carry their teams by themselves at such young ages.

There’s no doubt that both cellar-dwelling squads need as much firepower as possible, and there might not be anybody better in that regard than Guentzel in this summer’s free agency class.

The Carolina Hurricanes’ UFA is a two-time 40-goal scorer, coming off a 30-goal campaign in just 67 games.

On the other hand, why would the rebuilding San Jose Sharks, or Chicago, for that matter, offer a seven-year contract to a 29-year-old winger?

And of course, why would Guentzel want to spend a decent chunk of his 30’s on not the most competitive teams?

Guentzel’s timeline doesn’t seem to align with either the Sharks or Hawks’.

But who knows? Crazier things have happened. As Friedman noted, Guentzel is from the Midwest. The ex-Pittsburgh Penguins star has also won a pair of Stanley Cups, so he may not be single-mindedly chasing a ring either. Maybe Guentzel is open to a short-term high AAV pact?

What seems certain for the San Jose Sharks? They have plenty of cap space, and appear motivated to add legitimate NHL talent around Celebrini and fellow top prospect Will Smith this coming season.

Sharks Have Tons of Cap Space This Off-Season…How Much?

“They’re going to need players to surround these guys with. This is a big job here for Mike Grier,” Marek said. “How do you insulate these two with veteran players?”

It might not be a star like Guentzel, but there are many ways for the Sharks to improve without breaking the bank.