2:30 a.m.: The trade call is now complete with the Hurricanes also receiving Ty Smith as part of the trade, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman confirms. The Penguins will receive Bunting, forward prospects Ville Koivunen, Vasiliy Ponomarev, and Cruz Lucius, a conditional 2024 first-round pick, and a conditional 2024 fifth-round pick. If the Hurricanes don’t make the 2024 Stanley Cup Final, the first-round pick downgrades to the Flyers’ 2024 second-round pick. The fifth-round pick only transfers if the Hurricanes win the Stanley Cup. The Penguins are also retaining 25% of Guentzel’s $6MM cap hit. A previous report indicated that defense prospect Scott Morrow was headed to Pittsburgh in the deal; this is false.
5:26 p.m.: The Hurricanes and Penguins are close to a trade that would send star winger Jake Guentzel to Carolina, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports. Forward Michael Bunting is expected as part of the return to Pittsburgh. Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic adds that both teams being in action tonight may delay the final trade call but that “all signs point to Guentzel going to Carolina.”
This is the first major splash at this year’s deadline for Hurricanes GM Don Waddell, who’s largely held out of making big moves late in the season throughout his time at the helm in Carolina. He notably didn’t swing for a forward upgrade at last year’s trade deadline, and his Metropolitan Division-winning squad ended up bowing out to the Panthers in an Eastern Conference Final sweep. The Hurricanes have seemingly beaten out four other teams – the Canucks, Golden Knights, Panthers, and Rangers all remained in contact with Pittsburgh today – for Guentzel’s services.
Guentzel, 29, has been a first-line staple in Pittsburgh alongside Sidney Crosby since making his debut in 2016, memorably scoring on his first NHL shot. After leading Pittsburgh in playoff goals during their run to the Stanley Cup in 2017 and breaking out for a 40-goal regular season two years later, Guentzel inked a five-year, $30MM contract that will expire this summer. There was little reason to believe Guentzel wouldn’t extend in Pittsburgh after he hovered around the point-per-game mark yet again last year with 73 in 78 games, but a disappointing season for the Penguins in the standings has caused the organization to shift to retool mode.
This year, Guentzel is back above the point-per-game mark, notching 22 goals and 52 points in 50 games. He’s missed the last few weeks with an upper-body injury and, until the trade goes through, remains on the Penguins’ LTIR list. However, he’s not expected to miss much more time and skated in a full-contact jersey today for the first time since the mid-February injury. Averaging 20:53 per game, his possession metrics across the board are strong, logging a +9 rating, a career-high 56.3 CF% at even strength, and a spectacular 57.1 xGF%, per Hockey Reference.
Surely, Guentzel’s career numbers have benefitted from so much ice time with one of the best players in league history. Hurricanes number-one center Sebastian Aho may not fall into the generational category, but he’s still among the league’s elite and should form a mutually beneficial relationship with Guentzel down the stretch and into the postseason. There’s no reason to believe Guentzel won’t slot into a top-line role immediately, allowing 23-year-old Andrei Svechnikov to drop down to the second line and receive some easier 5-on-5 matchups.
That addition will cause some domino effects, although the pressing issue of an upgrade on Jack Drury or Jesperi Kotkaniemi as a second-line center remains. While depth scoring wingers like Stefan Noesen have been a revelation, posting 31 points in 60 games for the ’Canes despite logging under 12 minutes a night, he’s no Svechnikov. The 23-year-old is playing some of the best hockey of his career and is scoring at a career-best 0.93 point-per-game clip, and he and Martin Necas anchoring Carolina’s second line offers much more insulation to the overtaxed Drury as a true strong secondary scoring unit behind the Aho line. Noesen could then slot into a more comfortable fourth-line role, boosting their bottom unit alongside Kotkaniemi and Jesper Fast to be more well-rounded offensively.
While there won’t be an extension for Guentzel as part of this deal, it’s certainly possible before he reaches free agency on July 1. Bunting was signed for two more seasons with a $4.5MM cap hit, so moving him to the Penguins opens up a fair amount of cap space to devote to what could very well be a Guentzel extension that comes in north of $8MM per year. The Hurricanes will have $36.15MM in projected cap space next year after the trade, assuming no other players are coming from Pittsburgh to Carolina, with a roster size of 11. They have multiple impact players unsigned for next season, though, including Necas, Seth Jarvis, Teuvo Teräväinen, and Brett Pesce.
For the Penguins, this confirms the start of GM Kyle Dubas’ retooling to give the team a third wind in the twilight years of Crosby’s, Evgeni Malkin’s, Erik Karlsson’s, and Kris Letang’s careers. They still have an incredibly formidable core but lack much speed, depth, youth, or skill among their secondary. Guentzel’s departure tonight could signal the departure of other assets, such as winger Reilly Smith and netminder Alex Nedeljkovic, before tomorrow’s deadline.
Bunting will provide a slightly younger and cheaper option in Pittsburgh’s top six compared to Smith, Rickard Rakell, or Bryan Rust. It marks the second time Dubas has moved to acquire him – his former GM with the OHL’s Soo Greyhounds was responsible for his big major-league chance by signing him in Toronto as a UFA, where he broke out as a top-line threat alongside Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner. Even away from Toronto’s stars, Bunting maintained a decent level of production in Carolina, scoring 13 goals and 36 points through 60 games while averaging 15:07 per game. His possession impacts have nosedived away from Matthews and Marner, though, posting a 49.2 xGF% this year compared to his 58.2 mark throughout his two years with the Maple Leafs.
A first look at the futures the Pens acquired looks like a rocky start to the Dubas-led retool. Despite interest from multiple teams with deep prospect pools, Pittsburgh failed to secure a guaranteed first-round pick or a first-round-caliber prospect in the swap, opting for a trio of U-22 players instead.
The most notable prospect heading to the Penguins is Koivunen, who the Hurricanes selected in the mid-second round of the 2021 draft. A 20-year-old who can play both wing and center, Koivunen has dominated the Finnish Liiga in a proper breakthrough campaign this year, tied for first in points with Oulun Kärpät with 21 goals and 55 points in 57 games. He represented Finland at the 2022 and 2023 World Juniors and scored once in 12 games with the AHL’s Chicago Wolves last season, his only North American professional experience. Koivunen signed his entry-level contract in August 2021, but the deal slid twice due to his European Assignment Clause kicking in for the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons. As such, his contract only began in earnest this season and doesn’t expire until 2026, when he’ll be an RFA.
Ponomarev, 21, is the only prospect picked up by Pittsburgh with NHL experience. Another mid-second round pick of the Canes, selected one year before Koivunen, the Russian center notched a goal and an assist in his first two NHL games earlier this season. On assignment to the AHL at the time of the deal, he’s expected to join the Penguins’ affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton after spending time with both the Tuscon Roadrunners and Chicago Wolves earlier this year. A Calder Cup champion with the Wolves in 2022, Ponomarev has eight goals, 29 points, and a -17 rating in 41 minor-league games this year. He’s in the second active season of his entry-level contract and will be an RFA in the summer of 2025.
Lucius, 19, was the latter of the Canes’ two fourth-round picks in 2022 and has not yet signed his ELC. The Lawrence, Kansas, native plays right wing and is in his sophomore season at the University of Wisconsin, where he’s been highly productive with 23 goals and 65 points in 66 games since 2022. He missed a solid chunk of his draft year due to injury, limiting his stock, so he does have a higher likelihood of cracking the NHL than his fourth-round billing suggests. The Penguins have until Aug. 15, 2026, to sign him to a deal before losing his exclusive signing rights.
While the Penguins may have technically added a second first-round pick in the upcoming draft, their selections are conditional. Pittsburgh could end up with no first-round selections this year if Carolina doesn’t reach the Final and their own first-round pick ends up outside of the top 10. The Pens dealt their 2024 first-rounder to the Sharks in last summer’s Erik Karlsson trade, but the pick is top-10 protected and would defer to 2025 if Pittsburgh ends up with a top-10 pick after this year’s draft lottery.
By removing Guentzel from LTIR, the Penguins now exceed the cap by $2.275MM, according to CapFriendly. They must clear space via additional trades, placing another player on LTIR, or reassigning players to the minors by 4 p.m. CT Friday.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Dubas loves his boys
That might have been a cap dump as Carolina has a lot of free agents to re-sign this summer and now you can add Guentzel to the list. We’ll see if it netted Pittsburgh any extra assets. They’ll be right up against the cap without Guentzel’s LTIR relief but they can send a couple guys down.
“Dubas-wan was wise to trade him. Now his failure is complete.”
@Nha Trang — Much truth you have written. Dubas now sending smoke signals that say, “I know what I’m doing!” Once the pupil, now he sits in the corner with the pointy hat.
This is a game changer. Just what the Canes needed to get to that next level.
I’m just relieved it isn’t Vegas… but there is still the looming matter of Buchnevich to survive.
If the blues hold onto buchy I think it’s a mistake.
Not necessarily. Don’t make a trade just to make a trade. Could also trade him in the off season or at next year’s TDL.
This feels premature I hope someone else sneaks in and gets it done. Boy I hope im correct or I am losing a few hundred dollars.
Still think goaltending will be their undoing. Adding Guentzel is nice but if Frederik can’t stay healthy, they will be out in 2nd round.
So Bunting and…?
What would sweeten the return even more for the pens would be to include Neddy. Seeing as the canes are already familiar and are seeking a backup net minder
Dubas has a huge ego and a small hockey brain. Good luck Pittsburgh!
So, you speak in the third person and your name is also Dubas, then?
Bunting seems to have some Chris Kunitz in him, I suspect he’ll replace Jake on Sid’s line, at first at least.
I don’t think the Canes give up a top prospect if they are also giving up a first. Based on nothing more than a quick glance at a Canes Top 5 Prospects list and a random guess…Ponomarev?
It looks like they’ll be giving up a 2nd, of which they have their own and Philly’s.
An interesting factoid is that Pittsburgh acquired the 3rd that they selected Guentzel with in a 2013 deal with Dallas that swapped two defensemen named Morrow for each other.
Bunting has once again worn out his welcome. Don’t call him Sid, You don’t know him, And you aren’t in the lineup.
Seravalli has said Morrow is not part of the deal.
Probably Bunting, a B prospect, and a 1st and a conditional pick based on playoff success/ability to re-sign Guentzel
Not bad! Do note that you cannot make a pick conditional on re-signing a player.
Pagnotta has confirmed the details: Guentzel and D Ty Smith to Canes, Pens receive Bunting, Koivunen, Lucius, Ponomarev, conditional 2024 2nd (becomes a 1st if Canes make it to SCF), and conditional 2024 5th (TBD).
Yeah, Sports Forecaster reports the same.
Pens also retain 1.5M, the difference between Guentzel and Bunting’s salaries, to remain under the cap without Guentzel’s LTIR. The 5th only conveys if Canes win the Cup.
Ish will Guentzel. Jetzt!
What no great great Tony Deangelo. Goodbye Tony time to cry conspiracy is reason your done.
I’m sorry Tony hurt you.
I had my doubts Carolina would make a big move. I was wrong.
Same. Think this is a great deal for the Canes without giving up one of their top-5 prospects and the condition on the 1st.
I never like to see superstars leave a city & if I were a Pens fan there is no way I would want to see Crosby moved. BUT if he were to initiate the move that may be the best thing for the franchise to retool/rebuild.
Rare Dubas win on this one. Flip an expiring contract for a bunch of picks and prospects? Works for me.
Agree! I’m not a Penguins fan and I think the trade is ok. Team has a bad farm system, so quantity over quality is acceptable for return. Pens haven’t sold in so long that unhappy fans & media probably have forgotten what the process is like.
Local Pittsburgh sports media not happy!
“Because then, a bit before midnight, Kyle Dubas and the Hurricanes completed a trade so awful, so embarrassing that, until this day, it only could’ve been believed coming from the local baseball club.”
“The Hurricanes get Jake, and the return could only be viewed as being about quantity and, worse, about crossed fingers. It’s all about hope. All about pinning the franchise’s future on the same scouting/analytics whiz-bangs who not so long ago spit out a recommendation to guarantee $27 million to Ryan Graves.”
Which dunce wrote the first quote?
The baseball comparison didn’t give it away? Dejan K.
Title of the article: “Dubas’ trash Guentzel trade mirrors other work here to date”
Safe to say DK is not a fan.
I’d think the same, 66. Guentzel was someone they shouldn’t have dealt if they had any choice in the matter, but anyone with a hockey IQ above room temperature knows what Pittsburgh desperately needs: youth and depth.
The Canes just filled out the Penguins fourth line for years to come!
Great trade for the Pens. Bunting at half of Guentzel’s 24-25 salary and still still have plenty of money to spend in the offseason without even factoring in more trades.
Get immediate help in the middle six at Center with Pono, top six scoring and much needed help on the Power Play with Bunting, a high ceiling guy in Poivunen who will come over to North America next season, and a couple of lottery tickets (Lucious and the draft pick).
As always, we’ll truly find out in a couple years who “won” the trade, but on the surface I really like it for the Pens and the Canes, might end up a win/win.
Pono isnt ready to step into middle 6 center duty right now or he would be here still instead of Drury or KK. Thats probably his absolute ceiling but hes not there yet. More likely will be a quality 4C or bottom six C/W.
He was going to replace KK for 4C for the Canes this year, but then got hurt. At least that what local TV talking heads in Raleigh say, as well as my buddy who’s a huge Canes fan.
I highly doubt that, but guess we will never know. Still, he has a bright future.
This is a pretty light return for someone of Guentzel’s caliber.
Either Dubas REALLY likes Bunting (he also brought him into TOR) or he may have overplayed his hand on Wednesday night and was left scrambling to get something done Thursday. Not managing to grab any of Carolina’s top-4 prospects seems like a bad deal (ending up with a grab-bag of lesser talent that may never sniff a good NHL team roster.) And some truly weird conditional picks.
Koivunen is the prize, not Bunting. Koivunen is one of the top scorers in all of Liga despite being just 20 years old playing with grown men.
Bunting fills a void for the Penguins in the top 6 and on the Power Play at half of Guentzel’s projected 24/25 cap hit. That was the value in getting Bunting back, now they don’t have to rely on free-agency to fill one of their top 6 winger spots and still have plenty of money to spend.
Dubas also drafted him when he was the GM with Sault St. Marie.
This is, for sure, a quantity over quality deal but they seem to have net 2-3 guys who range from good to decent prospect and a pick for a rental.
My only beef with this deal is it’s mushing the timeline. We should be picking up younger prospects and picks for later drafts and using free agency to fill out the spare parts around Sid for a few years in order to truly bottom out and get the top 5 picks needed to win.
If we get too many young players ready to play soon, we will transition from an old team that misses the playoffs to a young team that misses the playoffs but doesn’t bottom out. Bad path.
UNLESS, just thought of this, you develop these guys and then sell them in their primes when Sid finally goes, which is not a bad plan actually.
Also, Bunting and Pono fill voids that allow the Penguins to “replace” Guentzel and Eller at a very low price tag. This allows them to upgrade in other areas in free-agency since they still have a lot of money to spend.
Koivunen is the wild card. If he works out he’s a top 6 winger with 40+ goal potential. But, he could also totally bust because he can’t adjust to the smaller rink and more physical game.
Eh, they’ve been on a bad path for years now. At least now they seem to be acknowledging that the rebuild has to start now, but one would have thought that if a team’s expecting Jake F’n Allen to be their starter, Pittsburgh could have gotten a good deal for Nedeljkovic. But if they’d actually started accumulating young guys back in the 2022 offseason, they’d have had the time for Sid and Geno and Letang to mentor them.
Me, it’s tough to *like* this deal: Guentzel is an elite player still in his prime. But it’s a pretty good return.
Between the weaknesses down the middle* and the game Brind’Amour coaches, I don’t think this team is winning a Cup and probably not making the final. I think the “high-volume, hard forecheck” style they rely on is something teams can neutralize over a seven game series with a slower game and goaltending… and that’s why their scoring dries up every year in the playoffs.
So this ends up being Bunting, a mid-second, and second-tier prospects. At least Carolina has already paid $4m of Bunting’s $4.5m this season – but I don’t think cash money matters in Pittsburgh.
It’d be easy to call this a “slam-dunk” for Carolina, but if they flame out again in the playoffs and Guentzel walks? … at least they’ll be rid of Bunting’s cap.
*Aho is – I believe – a true No.1 center. If they can mostly rehab (sorry) Kuznetsov’s game then I would say they’re solid down the middle.