Report: Hurricanes acquiring Jake Guentzel, taking key Canucks trade target off the board

From the sounds of it, the Vancouver Canucks are out of the running for star Pittsburgh Penguins winger Jake Guentzel.

Despite reportedly taking an aggressive stance in trade talks with the Penguins during their pursuit of Guentzel, the Canucks were seemingly unable to come to an agreement.

As Daily Faceoff hockey insider Frank Seravalli reported on Thursday evening, the wheels appear to be in motion on a deal that will send Guentzel to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for a package that includes winger Michael Bunting.

Seravalli cautioned that the deal isn’t officially done but added that the Penguins and Hurricanes have come to an agreement regarding the main pieces of the transaction.

“My understanding: Pens and Canes have agreed to the basic framework of a deal that will send Jake Guentzel to Carolina,” Seravalli tweeted on Thursday. “Work to do, but well down the track. Carolina isn’t typically a player in the rental market — but they love the fit [and] feel they’d have solid shot to re-sign him.”

Guentzel, 29, has 22 goals and 52 points in 50 games with the Penguins this season. The pending UFA winger has been out of the lineup since March while recovering from an upper-body injury.

With Guentzel apparently off the board, it’s unclear where the Canucks will turn with less than 24 hours remaining until the trade deadline. The team has reportedly expressed interest in Arizona Coyotes winger Jason Zucker and also has an open line of communication with veteran forward Phil Kessel, who has been training in Abbotsford in recent weeks.

What is clear, however, is the Canucks’ willingness to be a big-name player in this year’s trade market. They picked up Nikita Zadorov from the Calgary Flames in late November, making another deal with their Pacific Division foe on January 31st to acquire Elias Lindholm. That, however, hasn’t quite gone as planned as Lindholm has struggled to adjust on the West Coast.