The Lightning looked like a completely different team heading into the 2024 NHL trade deadline and free agency. 

Speculation during the second round of the 2024 NHL Draft suggested the Lightning were eyeing forward Jake Guentzel, who had just completed 17-games with the Carolina Hurricanes. That chatter gained more weight when the Lightning dealt defenseman Mikhail Sergachev to Utah and forward Tanner Jeannot to the Los Angeles Kings.

Just one day before free agency, the Lightning acquired the rights to Guentzel from the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for a 2025 third-round draft pick.

On Tuesday, Guentzel spoke about how things ended in Carolina during an appearance on the "Cam and Strick" podcast.

"Yeah, that was just a whirlwind kind of time, you know; first time going to a different team, you're not sure how it's going to go. But I loved my time there; great team, great group of guys, and it was a lot of fun to be out there with those guys. Aho, I think, is an unbelievable player. Jarvy's a great player too, so those guys were just special players to play with," Guentzel said.

"Yeah, just, there was kind of a lot of back and forth before free agency. Was hoping to get a deal done right after the season, just didn't kind of come to fruition. And as time got closer and it got closer to free agency, I was kind of sitting there, just, you know, I'm already four days away from free agency; let's just wait it out and see what happens. And then Tampa came, traded for my rights, and I think that was a no-brainer for me when that happened," Guentzel added.

In his first season with the Lightning, Guentzel had 41 goals and 39 assists for 80 points in 80 games played. In the 4 Nations Face-Off, he recorded three goals and four points in four games, tying for the team lead in goals and ranking second in points. He was recently invited to the U.S. Olympic Orientation Camp and is expected to make the 2026 U.S. Olympic Team.