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Final Details Emerge in Penguins’ Jake Guentzel Trade

Originally posted on Pittsburgh Penguins on SI
By Nick Horwat | Last updated Mar 7, 2024 11:53 PM ET

PITTSBURGH – After an entire disaster of a game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals, the trade details finally emerged regarding the Jake Guentzel trade. Prior to puck drop, it was revealed that the Penguins were working on a deal to send Guentzel to the Carolina Hurricanes.

Not many more details were given at the time other than Hurricanes’ forward Michael Bunting was coming to the Penguins. Both teams had games to play, so the complete details of the trade were delayed.

Once both teams wrapped up, the details began to spill out, and TSN’s Pierre LeBrun was the first to report the full deal.

The Penguins have acquired forwards Michael Bunting, Ville Koivunen, Vasily Ponomarev, Cruz Lucius, and conditional 2024 first-round and fifth-round draft picks from the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for Jake Guentzel and Ty Smith.
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) March 8, 2024

Heading to the Hurricanes are Guentzel and American Hockey League defenseman Ty Smith.

Coming to the Penguins is Bunting, forward prospects Ville Koivunen, Vasili Ponomarev, and Cruz Lucius, and a pair of conditional 2024 draft picks, a first and fifth-round pick.

According to LeBrun, the conditions hinge on the Hurricanes reaching the Stanley Cup Final. If the Hurricanes fail to reach the Final, the first-round pick will turn into a second-rounder (from the Philadelphia Flyers), and the fifth will disappear completely.

Bunting is a 28-year-old winger who has a history with Penguins’ president and general manager Kyle Dubas. He has 70 goals and 92 assists in 247 career games.

The prospects are a little harder to read at the moment, but Koivunen is a 20-year-old native of Finland who currently has 21 goals in 57 games with Karpat in SM-liiga.

Ponomarev is 21 years old and has spent most of his professional career in the American Hockey League.

Lucius is currently playing for the University of Wisconsin in the NCAA and putting up just shy of a point-per-game with 31 points in 32 games.

This article first appeared on Pittsburgh Penguins on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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