Tampa Bay Lightning acquire the rights to Jake Guentzel on the eve of free agency

The Tampa Bay Lightning got a head start on free agency by acquiring the rights to high-scoring winger Jake Guentzel on Sunday.

The Lightning sent a 2025 third-round draft pick to the Carolina Hurricanes. The move allows the Lightning to sign Guentzel before he hits the open market on Monday.

He is coming off scoring 30 goals this past season for the Hurricanes and Pittsburgh Penguins, his fourth time reaching that mark in an eight-year career that has included him getting to 40 twice. Guentzel, who turns 30 in October, won the Stanley Cup with Pittsburgh in 2017 and is nearly a point-a-game playoff performer in the NHL.

That means everything to the Lightning, who won it all back to back in 2020 and ‘21, reached the final in ’22 and want to keep their contending window open as long as possible. To do so, general manager Julien BriseBois and his staff plotted to shift resources from a strong left side on defense to the forward group.