During the midpoint of the season, Pittsburgh Penguins forward Jake Guentzel was approached regarding the possibility of extending his contract as he would soon be a free agent.
He chose not to delve deeply into the matter, stating, “I’m not going to delve too deeply into it,” at PPG Paints Arena on Jan. 6. “I’m just focusing on playing, and we’ll see what unfolds.”
Just over two months later, he found himself traded to the Carolina Hurricanes on March 7, alongside reserve defenseman Ty Smith. In return, the Penguins acquired NHL forward Michael Bunting, along with forward prospects Ville Koivunen, Cruz Lucius, Vasily Ponomarev, and two conditional draft picks.
Guentzel, a two-time 40-goal scorer, has swiftly integrated into the Hurricanes’ lineup, tallying 12 points (two goals, 10 assists) in eight games thus far. His ninth game with the team is slated for Tuesday at PPG Paints Arena, marking a reunion with several former teammates from the Penguins’ 2016-17 Stanley Cup-winning teams who have also moved on.
Since Guentzel’s departure, the Penguins have struggled with a 2-6-1 record, while the Hurricanes have thrived at 6-1-1 since his addition to their roster. Guentzel has already made notable contributions in his new team’s uniform:
– March 12: Guentzel debuted with the Hurricanes against the New York Rangers, registering one shot on goal in 15:12 of ice time.
– March 14: He notched his first point with the Hurricanes, assisting on a goal by Martin Necas in a win against the Florida Panthers.
– March 16: Guentzel scored the shootout-winning goal and contributed two primary assists in a victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs.
– March 17: He scored his first true goal with the Hurricanes and earned another assist in a dominant win against the Ottawa Senators.
– March 19: Guentzel collected three points, including an empty-net goal and two assists, in a win over the New York Islanders.
– March 22: Despite a shootout loss to the Washington Capitals, he recorded three primary assists.
– March 24: Guentzel provided the primary assist on the game-winning power-play goal by Sebastian Aho against the Maple Leafs.
Reflecting on his contributions, Guentzel emphasized his role in supporting the Hurricanes’ talented lineup and expressed his enjoyment in playing alongside teammates Aho and Jarvis.