Jake Guentzel has been as good as anyone involved with the Carolina Hurricanes could have hoped for when the longtime Pittsburgh Penguins forward was acquired ahead of the 2024 NHL trade deadline.
The Stanley Cup champion scored eight goals and 25 points in 17 regular-season games with the Canes, and added another four points to help dispatch the New York Islanders in five games in Round 1.
Guentzel adds another critical piece to Carolina's elite depth, and he's looked healthy and motivated in the postseason so far. But the road ahead gets much tougher ahead of a second-round battle with the President's Trophy winning New York Rangers.
Still, it's great to see Guentzel healthy, especially considering the nature of the injury that cost him 13 regular-season contests. The ailment was particularly gruesome, as reported by The Athletic's Michael Russo on Saturday.
“In February, only a few weeks before the deadline, Guentzel broke some ribs and his oblique muscle ripped right off the bone,” wrote Russo. “So Guentzel had to watch helplessly as the Penguins tried to make the playoffs without him.”
That injury was the last time Guentzel played for the Pens in 2023-24; he missed 11 Pittsburgh games before being traded to Raleigh. He sat for two more before making his Hurricanes debut.
But playing on a line with Sebastian Aho and Seth Jarvis in Carolina, as well as on the top powerplay group, Guentzel has been terrific. Could he be the missing piece as the Canes look to finally get out of the Eastern Conference in 2024?
Jake Guentzel will be critical as Hurricanes look for revenge vs. Rangers
The Isles were a difficult Round 1 opponent. But the Rangers are arguably the best team in the game of hockey, with star power at all three positions and fresh off winning their first President's Trophy since 2015.
The Rangers swept the Washington Capitals in the first-round, and are eyeing a Stanley Cup just like the Hurricanes are in 2024. New York beat Carolina two seasons ago — in seven games — and fans in Carolina will be hoping for different results this time around.
And Guentzel looks to be in a great environment as he tries to rewrite history in Round 2.
“Look at this place,” Guentzel told Russo earlier this week in Raleigh. “The weather’s great, the team’s great. I mean, great players, a great coach, and we play a style where there’s no ice, no room when you play us. The city’s great, the fans are amazing. This is a great hockey place. What’s not to like?”
It certainly looks like Guentzel is at least open to the idea of re-signing with the Hurricanes, although the pending unrestricted free agent will have no shortage of suitors this summer.
But first on his mind will be a monumental matchup with the Rangers, with a berth in the Eastern Conference Final on the line. In 2024, the East might run through one of the two Metropolitan Division clubs, but one will at least be the king of the division in a couple of weeks.
It'll be intriguing to see if the addition of Jake Guentzel will be enough for the Hurricanes to change their postseason fate against the Rangers.
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