Penguins Trade Jake Guentzel to Hurricanes
The Pittsburgh Penguins are sending Jake Guentzel to the Carolina Hurricanes.
PITTSBURGH – After months of rumors and reports, the news is finally coming across that the Pittsburgh Penguins are trading Jake Guentzel. As first reported by Mike DeFabo of the Athletic, the Penguins are sending Guentzel to the Carolina Hurricanes. It is expected Michael Bunting will be part of the return.
Without a contract extension on the table and the Penguins playoff hopes essentially evaporated, Guentzel became the hottest topic on the NHL trade market. Teams around the league showed interest, but the Hurricanes have emerged victorious in the bidding war.
Guentzel will forever be remembered in Pittsburgh as one of the best goal-scorers in recent memory and the best linemate to ever play with Sidney Crosby. In 503 career games, he has scored 219 goals and 247 assists for 466 total points.
Guentzel is already an elite-level talent, but he regularly finds another level in the playoffs. In 58 postseason games, he has 58 points (34G-24A) and was a key piece to the 2017 Stanley Cup championship. As a rookie, he led the entire playoffs with 13 goals.
The 2023-24 season is a contract year for Guentzel, and he is earning his way to a massive payday. He’s currently out with an upper-body injury but is expected to return to the lineup in just a few days. In 50 games played this year, he’s picked up 22 goals and 30 assists for 52 points, over a point per game for the fourth time in the last five seasons.
Kyle Dubas is in his first year as Penguins president and general manager, and it’s well known he had his work cut out for him in building a winning team in Pittsburgh. This was a tough pill to swallow, but he had his sights set on prospects over draft picks for Guentzel.
While further details are still being ironed out, Bunting appears to be the main NHL-level piece coming to Pittsburgh. Bunting has is familiar with Dubas as they both shared a Toronto Maple Leafs organization for the past two seasons.
Dubas may not be done, either. The trade deadline is a couple of days away and a few names on the Penguins roster are likely hitting the road.
Make sure you bookmark Inside the Penguins for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more.
- Subscribe to Inside the Penguins on YouTube
- Follow Inside the Penguins on Twitter: @InsidePenguins