Report: Lightning agree to terms on contract with would-be Canucks target Jake Guentzel

The Tampa Bay Lightning have agreed to terms on a contract extension with pending unrestricted free agent winger Jake Guentzel,  Daily Faceoff hockey insider Frank Seravalli reported Sunday evening.

Guentzel, 29, is eligible to sign a seven-year contract with the Lightning as a pending UFA. The Lightning acquired Guentzel’s exclusive signing rights from the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for a 2025 third-round pick earlier on Sunday.

In 77 games split between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Hurricanes during the 2023-24 regular season, Guentzel racked up 30 goals and 77 points. The 5’11” forward added four goals and nine points in 11 playoff contests with Carolina.

Guentzel had been eligible to sign an eight-year deal with the Hurricanes, and Carolina was reportedly interested in signing him to an eight-year, $8 million AAV contract before talks broke down; the Lightning acquired his rights shortly thereafter.

“Details have been hard to come by as Tampa has other moving parts, and info might not come out until tomorrow,” Seravalli tweeted on Sunday about the impending news of a Guentzel contract extension.

The Penguins originally selected Guentzel in the third round (No. 77 overall) of the 2013 NHL Draft. The Omaha, Nebraska product made his NHL debut with the Penguins in the 2016-17 season and scored 21 points in 25 playoff games to help the club win the Stanley Cup that very year.

The Canucks had been linked with Guentzel as an ideal target to potentially slot in on their top line with Elias Pettersson in Vancouver. Guentzel has collected 227 goals and 491 points in 520 career games over parts of eights seasons with Pittsburgh and Carolina, adding 38 goals and 67 points in 69 playoff contests.

With the Guentzel business in Tampa Bay reportedly almost finalized, it remains to be seen whether the Canucks will shift gears ahead of the UFA period officially opening on Monday. The other wingers slated to hit the market include Sam Reinhart, Vladimir Tarasenko, Jeff Skinner, Tyler Toffoli, Teuvo Teravainen, Jonathan Marchessault, Steven Stamkos, and Jake DeBrusk.