Former Penguins Star Makes Hurricanes Stanley Cup Favorites
The Carolina Hurricanes have huge expectations after acquiring the former Pittsburgh Penguins star.
PITTSBURGH – During his time with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Jake Guentzel grew a reputation as one of the best postseason goal scorers in the NHL. Not only can Guentzel come up in clutch situations during the regular season, but he can make any team he’s on a real threat in the playoffs.
It was an early conclusion that the Penguins were going to trade away Guentzel, and wherever he went was going to get a big postseason boost. The Penguins finally moved Guentzel to the Carolina Hurricanes, and they got a big jump in their Stanley Cup chances.
According to the Athletic, adding Guentzel to their roster gave the Hurricanes a 4% boost to their Stanley Cup odds. With Michael Bunting out and Guentzel in, the Hurricanes' chance increased from 14% to 18%.
The Hurricanes' previous odds of 14% already placed them among the league leaders, but hitting 18% makes them the new front-runners to win the Cup in 2024.
Guentzel has 34 goals in 58 career playoff games and led the entire postseason in scoring during his rookie season. Even in the Penguins’ brief postseason runs, Guentzel has stepped his game up.
In 2022, in a seven-game series against the New York Rangers, Guentzel potted eight goals. In 2018, when the Penguins played 12 games, Guentzel scored 10 times.
The Hurricanes are getting a bonified playoff star and might finally get themselves over the hump, and a lot of thanks can be given to the addition of Guentzel.
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