First Call: Jake Guentzel's agent talks future with Penguins; Steelers avoid 1st wave of international games

In Friday’s “First Call,” the Pittsburgh Steelers are off the hook for an international game.

At least for now.

The Jake Guentzel trade conversation is about to get thick. The Penguins have an important game on the horizon.

And both Duquesne basketball and Robert Morris hockey are about to battle some of the best in their business.

Nothing so far

The Steelers are not on the block for any international games next year.

Yet.

The NFL announced Thursday that the designated teams for the three games in London will be the Vikings, Bears and Jaguars. The Carolina Panthers will be the “home” team for the Munich game.

However, there is a game in Brazil that is still unassigned.

The designated teams in the 2024 NFL International Games! ???????? pic.twitter.com/hqYqmtsFBu

— NFL (@NFL) January 11, 2024

All NFL teams have to play an international game every four years. The Steelers haven’t played overseas since a 2013 loss in England to the Minnesota Vikings.

It’s getting warm

ESPN.com’s Emily Kaplan spoke with Ben Hankinson, the agent of Penguins free-agent-to-be Jake Guentzel, last week. Regarding his client’s future with the organization, Hankinson said, “This will get really heated down the stretch. It’s going to get interesting.”

Guentzel, 29, is in the final year of a five-year contract. While Hankinson insisted to Kaplan that he has a good relationship with Pens general manager Kyle Dubas, he told her no substantive talks toward a new contract have occurred.

If Guentzel doesn’t have the framework of a new deal in place by the trade deadline, don’t be surprised if he gets dealt.

That may be the case, even if the Penguins are in the hunt for a playoff spot.

For as good as he is, and for as much as Crosby would want to keep him as a linemate, the Pens don’t want him testing free agency with limited cap space. And they certainly don’t want him walking with no return. No doubt, Guentzel would command a significant haul at the trade deadline from a Stanley Cup contender if he is still healthy and playing well. In 58 career playoff games, the winger has 34 goals and one Stanley Cup ring in 2017.

Guentzel has 18 goals and 26 assists this season.

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What’s on deck

After the Penguins’ 4-3 loss in overtime Thursday night at home to the Vancouver Canucks, they now travel to Carolina for an important Metropolitan Division game Saturday.

The Pens have 45 points, tied for fifth place in the division with the New Jersey Devils. The Hurricanes are in second place with 51 points. So far this season, the Penguins are 1-1 against the Canes, losing 4-2 on Nov. 18 and winning a 2-1 shootout on Dec. 21.

The Hurricanes won Thursday at home against Anaheim 6-3. They have now won seven of their last 10 games. They have earned points in 13 of their last 14 games. Seth Jarvis had a goal and two assits.

Make this kid an All-Star! #NHLAllStarVote Seth Jarvis pic.twitter.com/LOFiLJCh69

— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) January 12, 2024

Carolina lost goalie Pyotr Kochetkov during the game thanks to a collision in the crease. Antti Raanta finished the game.

Dialed up for Dayton

After a solid pre-conference start to the 2023-24 season, Duquesne has found tough sledding to begin the Atlantic 10 campaign. The Dukes dropped their first two conference games at UMass and Loyola-Chicago.

Now, they get perhaps the best team in the conference at the UPMC Cooper Field House for a sold-out A-10 home opener Friday (7 p.m.). Dayton is in town at 12-2, winners of their first two conference games against UMass and Davidson.

The Flyers were the preseason pick to win the conference, chosen by the league’s head coaches and select media members. Their two losses thus far have come against Northwestern and Houston. Both of those clubs were tournament teams a year ago. They have won 10 in a row.

Part of the reason for Dayton’s success is DaRon Holmes. The 6-foot-10 forward averages 17.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game to lead the team. Those numbers place him third in scoring, seventh in rebounding and fourth in blocks. He also shoots 53.3% from the floor.

“He’s good enough to beat you by himself if you don’t man up and keep him away from the basket,” Duquesne coach Keith Dambrot said. “He made three 3s (against UMass on Sunday). It’s kind of like (Nikola) Jokic. If he gets assists and points, you have big problems. If this guy gets assists, and they get 3s, and he scores, there will be a problem.”

Dayton’s second-leading scorer is former Pitt Panther Nate Santos, who scores 12.1 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. He is shooting just under 49% overall and exactly 49% from the three-point line.

Since we brought it up

Meanwhile, the Robert Morris men’s hockey team is about to battle an elite opponent too.

The Colonials are in Minnesota to face the 12th-ranked Golden Gophers on Friday and Saturday nights. The Gophers boast four players who were on the American junior team that just won a gold medal at the World Championships in Sweden.

One of those players is Jimmy Snuggerud. A draft choice of the St. Louis Blues last summer, Snuggerud has 16 goals, the second most in college hockey this season. He is tied with Western Michigan’s Dylan Wendt and trails only Jack Devine from Denver.

Snuggerud is the son of a former NHL player, Dave Snuggerud. He is one of 13 Gophers currently under NHL rights. Another is Oliver Moore. Some thought the Penguins may have an interest in selecting him in the first round of this year’s draft. Instead, they took Brayden Yager at pick No. 14. Moore went 15 picks later to the Chicago Blackhawks.

The Colonials are coming off of a weekend sweep of Stonehill to improve to 6-13-3. The Gophers are 9-6-4.

As for the RMU women’s team (7-13-0), they are at home against Lindenwood (7-12-1) Friday night at 7 p.m. and Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m.