Jake Guentzel opens up ahead of emotional return to Pittsburgh

Jake Guentzel spent a long time with the Pittsburgh Penguins, and now he's opened up ahead of what's going to be a very emotional night.

The Pittsburgh Penguins have had a rough season in 2023-24, and with their future up in the air, they decided that the best possible move was to trade away Jake Guentzel to the Carolina Hurricanes at the deadline. Given that they are a division rival of the Penguins, they knew this would result in Guentzel returning to PPG Paints Arena, the place he called home for over seven years, and now, he's opened up on the emotional night that's incoming.




For seven and a half years, Guentzel was a star alongside Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang, tallying 466 points in 503 games played, helping the team to their third and final Stanley Cup as a group. However, they just aren't competitive in 2023-24, so moving Guentzel to a contender showed the great respect they have for him, which clearly goes both ways with Guentzel's respect for the organization.

While he has a job to do, and that's chase a Cup with the Hurricanes, Guentzel will allow himself to be swept up in the emotion of a potential tribute, but when the puck drops, it will be back to business for the 29-year old star.

Source: Jake Guentzel reveals true feelings ahead of return to Pittsburgh