NHLTR Mock Trade: Penguins trade Jake Guentzel to the Vancouver Canucks

We're back with another entry in our NHL Mock Trade series as the NHL trade deadline is less than a week away. The Pittsburgh Penguins continue to shop Jake Guentzel as they look to cash in on their pending free agent. The Pens need a miracle run to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs and President/GM Kyle Dubas isn't willing to risk losing Guentzel for nothing while the playoffs aren't a certainty.

Insert the Vancouver Canucks and Patrik Allvin and Jim Rutherford who were in Pittsburgh for several years and know Guentzel as a player and more importantly as a person. Lots of traction here between the two clubs to pull off a huge trade, let's dive in.

NHL Mock Trade: Penguins trade Guentzel (50% retained) to the Canucks for Conor Garland, Arshdeep Bains, Aatu Raty & conditional 2025 first-round pick 

The Penguins are looking to get four pieces for Guentzel and ideally younger. Bains has turned a lot of heads this season and has put up some big numbers at the AHL level. He's just 23 years old and is starting to carve out his role at the professional level. 39 points in 42 AHL games this season, Bains was a prolific scorer in junior, putting up 112 points his final season in Red Deer.

Garland works here to balance out the books for the Canucks and he's also someone Dubas has been interested in while he was running the Maple Leafs. The Penguins are looking to move on from Reilly Smith, Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell and Garland could be inserted on the right side among the top six. He's signed through 2025-26 at $4.95 million and doesn't hold any trade protection. So far in 62 games this season he's scored 11 times, adding 17 assists. 

Raty is a former top prospect who has put up solid numbers in the AHL since being acquired in the Bo Horvat So far in in 51 games this season, the 21-year-old has posted 35 points and has only seen three games with the Canucks since being acquired from Long Island. 

The condition on the draft pick would be based on if Guentzel re-signs in Vancouver during the offseason. The Canucks have some serious decisions to come next summer but for now, they are going all in which could included bringing in Guentzel from the Penguins.

Photo credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports