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Penguins become sellers by sending Guentzel to Hurricanes

Jake Guentzel. James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports

Penguins become sellers by sending Jake Guentzel to Hurricanes

By Adam Gretz | Last updated 3/7/24

For the first time since the 2005-06 season the Pittsburgh Penguins approached the NHL trade deadline as sellers. They sold off one of their biggest pieces on Thursday night, sending top-line winger and Stanley Cup champion Jake Guentzel to the Carolina Hurricanes.

It is a pretty strong signal that the Penguins are waiving the white flag on this season and have resigned themselves to the fact they are going to miss the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the second year in a row.

In exchange for Guentzel, the Penguins are receiving forward Michael Bunting, a conditional first-round pick, three prospects (Cruz Lucius, Vasili Ponomarev, Ville Koivunen) and a conditional fifth-round pick.

The condition on the first-round pick is that if the Hurricanes reach the Stanley Cup Final, the Penguins will get Carolina's first-round pick. If the Hurricanes do not reach the Stanley Cup Final, the Penguins will instead receive a second-round pick that originally belonged to the Philadelphia Flyers.

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 has been the preferred winger of Penguins superstar Sidney Crosby since the 2016-17 season and has blossomed into one of the best goal-scorers in the league.

But with the Penguins set to miss the playoffs, and Guentzel playing in the final year of his contract without an extension in place, a trade became inevitable.

For the Hurricanes, it is a huge addition for one of the best teams in the league and helps fill their biggest need — a top-line, goal-scoring winger.

Carolina does everything well as a team but has lacked an elite finisher come playoff time, a flaw that has consistently limited them. Guentzel, for his career, has actually been more productive in the playoffs than he is during the regular season, scoring 34 goals with 58 points in 58 career playoff games.

That comes out to a 0.58 goals per game and 1.00 points per game average in the playoffs. He averages 0.44 goals per game and 0.93 points per game average in the regular season. Both sets of numbers make him one of the most productive players in the league, but the fact he is better in the playoffs is a rarity in the NHL.

As for the Penguins' side, the prospects are far from a sure bet to ever make an impact in the NHL, while the draft pick is very likely to be in the second round instead of the first. Bunting gives them an NHL caliber forward to help fill a roster spot for the next two years, but it is a big downgrade from Guentzel.

It is not the type of trade that will jumpstart a rebuild or set them up long-term. That is the harsh reality of having to trade a player heading for free agency, and they could not afford to lose him for nothing.

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