On Mar. 7, it was confirmed that the Carolina Hurricanes were trading for Pittsburgh Penguins superstar, Jake Guentzel. After reports that multiple teams were in on the “Guentzel sweepstakes”, Carolina came up with an offer that Pittsburgh couldn’t refuse.

Guentzel is a premier player in the NHL so it makes sense why Carolina would give up a haul in order to acquire him. He is already up to 52 points (22 goals, 30 assists) in just 50 games this season; a little more than a point per game year for him. His 2023/24 season so far is more of a reflection of his entire career in Pittsburgh. He is a two-time All-Star, a Stanley Cup champion, and has scored 35+ goals in three seasons; very elite play.

So how does this help the Hurricanes? It is easy to look at Guentzel and think that he provides a lot of goals, which is true. However, he also provides a lot of scoring chances for his teammates. Nobody knows that better than Sidney Crosby, who played on a line with Guentzel for multiple years. People want to say that “Crosby made Guentzel’s career”, but stats also show that Guenztel is still over a point per game player when Crosby is not playing. It should be very interesting to see how he fits into the Carolina power play and how he starts playing with Carolina’s homegrown star, Sebastian Aho.

The Hurricanes have always been a tight-knit defensive group, but as the playoffs loom near, they are trying to build their offense as well. The Eastern Conference is wide open at the moment, and Carolina is doing everything in their power to ensure that they get to the top. This is perhaps the biggest trade deadline move of the season, and for good reason. One of the scariest teams in the league just got even scarier.

The New York Rangers, Vancouver Canucks, and Vegas Golden Knights were also in the mix for Guentzel, but it all came down to who was offering the best deal; that went to Carolina.

The Hurricanes organization and their fans are ecstatic about the move, and rightfully so, while Pittsburgh is feeling the opposite. As Jake Guentzel himself said “I couldn’t be more excited to play with these guys”, Penguins captain, Sidney Crosby, voiced his own opinion on the trade.

It appears that the Penguins dynasty which was dominant in the Metropolitan Division for over a decade is beginning to come to an end. Maybe with the new edition of Guentzel, Carolina will be the team that takes over for the next decade. Who knows?