Penguins forward Jake Guentzel asymptomatic following positive covid-19 test
Penguins forward Jake Guentzel has been asymptomatic since testing positive for covid-19, according to coach Mike Sullivan.
Should Guentzel remain asymptomatic, he could potentially be allowed to be removed from isolation and rejoin his teammates in advance of the team’s season-opening road game against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Oct. 13.
League protocols call for players who test positive to remain in isolation for 10 days. However, assuming that player is asymptomatic and fully vaccinated, he may be released from isolation if he tests negative on two consecutive days within that 10-day window.
The team announced Guentzel’s positive test Sunday morning.
Forward Zach Aston-Reese remains in isolation and has experienced mild symptoms since the team initially announced he tested positive on Sept. 27. According to Sullivan, Aston-Reese has improved.
“They’re making progress,” Sullivan said. “Jake has been asymptomatic to this point. So that’s a real positive from our standpoint. Zach went through some symptoms. He’s feeling much better. But that’s part of the reason why Zach’s protocol process has been as long as it is. We’ll see how it goes with Jake. But to this point Jake has been asymptomatic and we’re certainly encouraged by that.”
According to general manager Ron Hextall, all but one unidentified player on the team was fully vaccinated at the start of training camp on Sept. 23. That lone player was expected to be fully vaccinated in a handful of weeks.
Hallander debuts
Forward Filip Hallander made his preseason debut in Tuesday’s home game against the Buffalo Sabres at PPG Paints Arena.
He opened the contest on the left wing of the fourth line skating along Drew O’Connor at center and Anthony Angello at right wing.
A second-round pick (No. 58 overall) in 2018, Hallander is viewed as one of the organization’s top prospects in a shallow pool of candidates. And during the team’s development camp in September, he proclaimed he wanted to “take a spot” on the NHL roster in training camp.
Those aspirations were derailed after he missed the first handful of days in training camp due to an undisclosed injury.
“I’m just happy to be back and playing,” the 21-year-old Hallander said. “I’m just looking forward to an opportunity to show myself, show my skills and help the team.”
Tuesday’s game was also the first contest in North America the Swede had ever participated in.
“It’s exciting,” Hallander said following Tuesday’s morning skate. “I’m a bit nervous as well. I’m not going to lie. It’s a big moment. It’s just the preseason but for me, it’s an opportunity to show myself as well.
“I’m just trying to make the most of it, the time that’s left before the season starts.”
With less than a week before the Penguins must submit their season-opening roster, is there enough time left for Hallander to prove he’s deserving of a spot in the lineup?
“There is time, there is opportunity,” Sullivan said. “It’s hard to assess guys in practice so much. There (are) aspects of Filip’s game that jump out to us. He’s pretty good in the battle areas, he goes to the net. I think he has a little bit of an edge to his game that I think is a competitive advantage for him.
“It’s unfortunate that he’s been hurt because it’s robbed him of those opportunities to this point. But he’s back in the fold right now.”
Seth Rorabaugh is a TribLive reporter covering the Pittsburgh Penguins. A North Huntingdon native, he joined the Trib in 2019 and has covered the Penguins since 2007. He can be reached at srorabaugh@triblive.com.
Remove the ads from your TribLIVE reading experience but still support the journalists who create the content with TribLIVE Ad-Free.