With the acquisition of star forward Jake Guentzel, the Carolina Hurricanes appear to be the biggest winners thus far in what has been a frenzy of pre-NHL trade deadline action.
Following hours of drama and speculation, the Hurricanes and Pittsburgh Penguins officially agreed to terms late Thursday night on a deal that sent Guentzel and Ty Smith to Carolina in exchange for Michael Bunting, prospects Ville Koivunen, Vasily Ponomarev and Cruz Lucius, as well as a conditional 2024 first-round pick and a conditional 2024 fifth-round pick.
If the Hurricanes don't reach the Stanley Cup Final this season, the 2024 first-round pick becomes a second-round pick. If the Hurricanes don't win the Cup, the Penguins won't receive the 2024 fifth-round pick.
Pittsburgh is also retaining 25% of Guentzel's six-million-dollar salary, leaving Carolina with the flexibility to stay active ahead of Friday's 3:00 pm ET deadline.
Jake Guentzel has been traded to the Carolina Hurricanes, per @TheAthleticpic.twitter.com/Qbmqqo2oaT
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) March 7, 2024
The Hurricanes typically avoid "rental" players on expiring contracts, but they strayed from their philosophy to add an impact player in Guentzel, who was seen as the crown jewel of this year's trade market.
The 29-year-old has a Stanley Cup to his name and has posted 58 points in 58 career playoff games. Riding shotgun with Sidney Crosby on the Penguins' top line for much of his career, Guentzel also has three 70-plus-point seasons on his resume.
With Carolina primarily giving away future assets for this potential rental, it's clear the Hurricanes are all-in. They were swept by the Florida Panthers in last year's Eastern Conference Finals, but they've been bonafide Cup contenders for the last several seasons.
Perhaps the addition of Guentzel — whose shoot-first mentality should mesh perfectly with Carolina's top six — can get them over the hump.
After the trade, DraftKings lists the Hurricanes at +800 odds to win the Stanley Cup. Only the Panthers have shorter odds at +600, while the Oilers are also at +800. Not long ago, the Hurricanes were listed at +1200 to win it all.
For the Penguins, the return was a bit underwhelming. General manager Kyle Dubas opted for quantity over quality, acquiring three solid prospects but no blue-chip players and no surefire first-round pick.
Pittsburgh looks to be headed for a retool of sorts, so look for Dubas to continue to sell veterans, such as forward Reilly Smith, before the deadline hits.
Ready to get in on the NHL betting action in North Carolina? You can now pre-register for NC sports betting, and the state will go live with legal betting on March 11.
