Examining the Jake Guentzel Trade for Penguins & Hurricanes
p/c: Sam Navarro - USA Today Sports
Although Friday is the NHL trade deadline, the Pittsburgh Penguins traded Jake Guentzel and Ty Smith Thursday night to the Metropolitan Division rival Carolina Hurricanes. In return, Pittsburgh is receiving forwards Michael Bunting, Ville Koivunen, Vasily Ponomarev, and Cruz Lucius, as well a pair of draft picks for 2024. NHL insider Elliotte Friedman was the first to report that Bunting would be one of the players sent in the deal. TSN Hockey insider Pierre LeBrun is reporting that the Penguins could get a first round pick - should the Canes make the Stanley Cup Final. If not, then Pittsburgh will instead get the Philadelphia Flyers second round pick, which was previously acquired by Carolina. The Pens could also receive a ‘24 fifth round pick, if the Canes win the Stanley Cup. LeBrun also reported that Pittsburgh is retaining 25% of Guentzel’s remaining contract.
Before the trade with Carolina, other teams who had expressed interest in obtaining Guentzel were the Vegas Golden Knights, Edmonton Oilers, New York Rangers, and the Vancouver Canucks.
Guentzel played eight seasons with Pittsburgh; two of which resulted in 40-goal campaigns. His 219 goals place him eighth all-time among Penguins players.
As productive as Guentzel was in the regular season, his ability to dial it up another level in the postseason was just as outstanding. He recorded 25 playoff goals; seventh most in franchise history.
Just recently, Guentzel had been working his way back from an upper-body injury that he sustained on February 14th.
Smith was acquired by the Penguins prior to the 2022-23 season from the New Jersey Devils, in exchange for John Marino.
After playing only nine games in Pittsburgh last season, Smith has played exclusively this season with Wilkes-Barre Scranton, posting 32 points (9 G; 23 A) in 51 games.
Bunting was a fourth round draft selection of the Arizona Coyotes in 2014. He played in five games for the Yotes as a rookie during the 2018-19 season.
It wasn’t until Bunting got to Toronto that he enjoyed his best success, as he posted back-to-back 23 goal seasons in 2021-22 & 2022-23, with the Maple Leafs.
Last offseason, Bunting was able to cash in by signing a three-year contract, with the Hurricanes, which carries an average annual value of $4.5 million.
In 60 games this season for the Canes, the 28-year-old Bunting has registered 36 points (13 G; 23 A), along with a solid, 63% Corsi.
Koivunen was Carolina’s second round choice in 2021. The Finnish born center has 21 goals in 57 games this season for Karpat in SM-liiga.
Ponomarev joined the Canes as a second pick in the 2020 draft. A native of Moscow, Ponomarev has played most of 2023-24 for the Chicago Wolves of the AHL; scoring eight goals in 39 games. He made his NHL debut with Carolina on January 5th.
Lucius is playing for the University of Wisconsin, where he has a dozen goals in 32 games. The Canes’ fourth round selection in 2022 is a right winger.
Assessment: Carolina is of course getting a super talented, left winger in Guentzel to play on the top line, alongside Sebastian Aho. They also add Smith to the mix, for defensemen depth.
As for the Penguins, they get a controllable, LW in Bunting, who will presumably be plugged in on Sidney Crosby’s line.
Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas is familiar with Bunting, as they were recently together in Toronto. In addition, assistant GM Jason Spezza played with Bunting in 2021-22, which was Spezza’s final NHL season with the Leafs.
Ponomarev got a cup of coffee with Carolina in January, so it’s possible that he could join the Pittsburgh roster, and be inserted on the bottom six.
Both Koivunen and Lucius would still be ways away from reaching the NHL level, although each have potential.
Dubas is making it his initiative to make the Penguins a younger team, not just with the big club, but in the system as well. With the Guentzel trade, Pittsburgh was able to acquire a bonafide, top six forward in Bunting, along with a possible contributor on the bottom six with Ponomarev, and a pair of forward prospects. Also the possibility of a second round pick becoming a first.
Time will tell, if Dubas received quality over quantity from this deal. On paper, it doesn’t seem like a great return, but not terrible either. While Dubas still has plenty of work to make the Pens a younger and better squad, in the long run, moving Guentzel is a good starting point.