During this past off-season, former Pittsburgh Penguins star forward Jake Guentzel signed a seven-year, $63 million contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning. This was after Guentzel posted 30 goals and 77 points in 67 games split between the Penguins and Carolina Hurricanes during the 2023-24 campaign.

Sometimes, a player can struggle after they join a new team, but this was certainly not the case for Guentzel with the Lightning. In fact, Guentzel immediately fit in with the Lightning and put together a fantastic first season with the Atlantic Division squad. 

In 80 games this past season with the Lightning, Guentzel scored a career-high 41 goals and recorded 39 assists, 80 points, and a plus-18 rating. With this, he finished second on the Lightning in goals and fourth in points. Thus, he undoubtedly became a major part of the Lightning's forward group, like they expected. 

Guentzel will now be looking to continue to have success with the Lightning moving forward. The former Penguins star has certainly thrived playing with Lightning stars like Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point, and it will be intriguing to see what kind of year he has with the Bolts in 2025-26. 

Penguins Made Good Move Signing Big Forward The <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins">Pittsburgh Penguins</a> have made multiple moves this off-season. This included bringing in several new players, including winger Anthony Mantha. The Penguins signed the 6-foot-5 forward to a one-year, $2.5 million contract earlier this month.

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