Lightning acquire Jake Guentzel from Hurricanes for 2025 third-round pick

Tampa Bay Lightning vice president and general manager Julien BriseBois announced that the club has acquired forward Jake Guentzel from the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for a 2025 third-round draft pick.

The 29-year-old spent the 2023-24 campaign split between the Hurricanes and the Pittsburgh Penguins. He tallied 30 goals and 77 points. Guentzel was acquired by the Hurricanes on March 8 in exchange for Michael Bunting, prospects and draft picks, leaving Pittsburgh for the first time in his eight-year NHL career.

Guentzel was a hot commodity around the league with many teams expected to be active in pursuing him come July 1. Guentzel was in the final season of a five-year, $30 million contract signed ahead of the 2019-20 season and will look for a new deal with Tampa.

Guentzel was originally selected in the third round of the 2013 NHL Draft by the Penguins. Through eight NHL seasons, he has 227 goals and 264 assists for 491 points in 520 career games. He has also appeared in 69 career Stanley Cup Playoff contests and recorded 38 goals and 29 assists for 67 points.

The Omaha, Nebraska product, made an impact in the league right away, being part of the Penguins’ second-of-back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in 2016-17, scoring 13 goals and eight assists for 21 points in 25 Stanley Cup Playoff contests.

Tampa made trades at the 2024 NHL Draft, a shocking one at first sending Russian defenseman Mikhail Sergachev off to the Utah Hockey Club and grinder Tanner Jeannot to the Los Angeles Kings.

With Tampa on the verge of losing two-time Stanley Cup champion and captain Steven Stamkos to free agency, it looks like BriseBois is looking for Guentzel to fill some big shoes.