The Jake Guentzel sweepstakes have come to a close, as the Pittsburgh Penguins have agreed to send the winger to the Carolina Hurricanes in a blockbuster deal ahead of Friday’s trade deadline, the ‘Canes announced on Thursday evening.
Headed to the Penguins in the trade will be a package headlined by Michael Bunting, who was a healthy scratch on Thursday due to “trade-related reasons.”
The full trade consists of Guentzel and defenseman Ty Smith heading to Carolina, while Bunting, forward prospects Ville Koivunen, Cruz Lucius and Vasili Ponomarev, as well as a conditional 2024 first round pick and a conditional 2024 fifth round pick will be headed to Pittsburgh.
The Penguins have acquired forwards Michael Bunting, Ville Koivunen, Vasily Ponomarev, Cruz Lucius, and conditional 2024 first-round and fifth-round draft picks from the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for Jake Guentzel and Ty Smith.
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) March 8, 2024
Guentzel was widely considered to be the best player available at the 2024 trade deadline, and many contenders were reportedly duking it out in hopes of securing his services from the Penguins ahead of the final stretch of the regular season. Teams linked to Guentzel throughout the week included the New York Rangers, Vancouver Canucks, Florida Panthers and Vegas Golden Knights, among others.
Guentzel has spent his entire career in Pittsburgh, where he was drafted as a third-round pick in 2013. The 29-year-old has registered 52 points—including 22 goals—in 50 games this season.
The eight-year veteran is in the final season of a five-year, $30 million deal and is due to hit unrestricted free agency this offseason, making him a rental pickup for Carolina, who will be looking to make a run at the Stanley Cup.
The ‘Canes made a handful of roster moves earlier on Friday, freeing up cap space by placing Tony DeAngelo, Brendan Lemieux and Antti Raanta on waivers while activating goaltender Frederik Anderson from IR.
