The Pittsburgh Penguins indicated their willingness to sell, and that is exactly what they are on the verge of doing. Pittsburgh has officially traded star forward Jake Guentzel to the Carolina Hurricanes ahead of the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline, according to Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic. Guentzel is moving on, as the Pens continue to fall out of contention for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The details of the trade have been finalized late Thursday night, as noted by LeBrun.
“Full trade: Pittsburgh trades Jake Guentzel (25% retained) and Ty Smith to Carolina in exchange for Michael Bunting, Ville Koivunen, Vasili Ponomarev, Cruz Lucius, Carolina’s 1st RD pick in 2024 (Conditional) and Carolina’s 5th RD pick in 2024 (Conditional).”
Guentzelwas made available by the Penguins due to his contract status. The Nebraska native is in the final year of his contract. While he has played at an elite level, the Penguins need to get younger. With this expected trade, Pittsburgh stocks up for the future while Guentzel has a chance to win a Stanley Cup before hitting the open market.
The 29-year-old has played well so far this season. He has surpassed the 20-goal mark for the seventh year in a row. Furthermore, he now has four consecutive campaigns with 50-plus points. Guentzel will now look to turn things up a notch with the Hurricanes for the rest of the year, assuming an agreement is reached.
Jake Guentzel is hurt but could return soon
One thing to consider is Jake Guentzel's current injury. The Penguins placed the veteran winger on injured reserve back on Feb. 15. He is ineligible to return to the ice until March 10. However, it sounds like Guentzel is progressing well toward a return to the ice.
Obviously, the Hurricanes believe he can come back soon. If they are right, it would be a massive boost to their lineup. Guentzel is coming off back-to-back 70-plus point seasons. Furthermore, he has quite the history in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, which Carolina certainly hopes to see this year.
The Hurricanes currently sit in second place in the Metropolitan Division with a record of 36-19-6 (78 points) and are hoping this impending move can carve out a clearer path through an arduous Eastern Conference. Guentzel could possibly lift Rod Brind'Amour's squad over the Florida Panthers and New York Rangers, among others.
Guentzel debuted during the 2016-17 season. The Penguins won their second-straight Stanley Cup that season, and he is a huge reason why. Guentzel scored 13 goals and 21 points that year as the Penguins completed their defense of the Cup. Pittsburgh didn't win it again in 2017-18, but the two-time All-Star put up 21 points in just 12 games during that playoff campaign.
Jake Guentzel played well for the Penguins, but it is time to move on. He heads to the Hurricanes in search of his second Stanley Cup. It will be interesting to see if the veteran winger can lead them to glory in 2024.
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