Carolina Hurricanes add forward Jake Guentzel in trade with Pittsburgh Penguins

The Carolina Hurricanes have made the kind of bold, splashy move so many of their fans have been clamoring for leading up to Friday’s NHL trade deadline.

The Canes announced they had completed a deal to acquire forward Jake Guentzel from the Pittsburgh Penguins, adding more offensive punch and consistent scoring to a team that believes it can win the 2024 Stanley Cup.

As part of the deal, Carolina sent forward Michael Bunting, forward Vasili Ponamarev and prospects Ville Koivunen and Cruz Lucius to the Penguins. In addition, Pittsburgh will receive a conditional 2024 first-round draft pick and conditional 2024 fifth-round pick.

The Canes also obtained defenseman Ty Smith, a former first-round pick, 17th overall, by the New Jersey Devils in 2018. Smith has been playing for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in the AHL most of the past two seasons, but has 123 games of NHL experience.

“Jake is an elite goal scorer and playmaker who has produced at a high level for his entire career,” Canes president and general manager Don Waddell said in a statement.

Bunting, in his first season with the Canes, was held out of Thursday’s game against the Montreal Canadiens. In 60 games with Carolina, he had 13 goals and 23 assists.

The NHL deadline for trades is Friday at 3 p.m., but the Hurricanes, like some other Cup hopefuls, did not wait until the last hour or minutes. It is not known if the Canes are considering any other trades.

Guentzel, 29, already has his name on the Cup, winning with the Penguins in 2017. He had 13 playoff goals in that run including a hat trick against Columbus.

Twice a 40-goal scorer in his career, Guentzel has been slowed recently by an “upper-body” injury suffered Feb. 14 that reportedly could be an injured finger. He has 22 goals and 30 assists in 50 games this season with the Pens, whose hope of reaching the playoffs is faint.

Placed on long-term injured reserve by the Penguins, Guentzel will not be eligible to return until two days after the deadline. The Hurricanes play at PNC Arena on Sunday against the Calgary Flames, the start of a three-game homestand that has Carolina facing the New York Rangers and Florida Panthers.

Guentzel is in the last year of a five-year contract with Pittsburgh that has a $6 million per year cap hit, and he will be an unrestricted free agent after the season.

A former third-round draft pick by Pittsburgh, Guentzel has been a steady point producer — 219 goals and 466 points in 503 career games, all with the Pens.

Guentzel was a 40-goal scorer in 2018-19 and again in 2021-22, when finished with career-high 84 points. Had 36 goals and 73 points last season.

Guentzel, listed at 5-11 and 180 pounds, scored 20 or more goals in every season except his rookie year of 2016-17, when he had 18.

A native of Omaha, Nebraska, Guentzel played three years of college hockey at Nebraska-Omaha, joining the Pens’ AHL team, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins late in the 2015-16 season. He split the 2016-17 season between the AHL and the Pens.

Guentzel’s father, Mike, played college hockey at the University of Minnesota and later served as the Gophers’ associate head coach. His son was serving as a stick boy when Phil Kessel played for the Gophers — Guentzel and Kessel later teammates in Pittsburgh.