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Forward Jake Guentzel, one of the top players on the market ahead of the NHL’s trade deadline on Friday, was acquired by the Carolina Hurricanes from the Pittsburgh Penguins late Thursday night.

Guentzel and defenseman Ty Smith are headed to Carolina in exchange for forwards Michael Bunting, Ville Koivunen, Vasily Ponomarev and Cruz Lucius and conditional 2024 first-round and fifth-round draft picks.

The Penguins will pay a quarter of the remaining salary for Guentzel, who will become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.

Guentzel, a 29-year-old winger, has spent his entire eight-season NHL career in Pittsburgh, helping the Penguins win the Stanley Cup when he was a rookie in 2016-17. He has often served as a linemate for Penguins captain Sidney Crosby.

In 503 games, he has 219 goals and 247 assists. This season, Guentzel has 22 goals and 30 assists in 50 games. He hasn’t played since Feb. 14 due to an upper-body injury, but he reportedly is close to returning to action.

Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas said in a statement, “The decision to trade Jake Guentzel, with his contract set to expire this offseason, was one of the most difficult decisions that I have had to make in my time in management. …

“Jake’s competitiveness, tenacity and spirit, combined with his talent have produced some of the greatest moments of this era of Penguins hockey. … We cannot thank Jake and his family enough for their contributions to the Penguins since he was drafted in 2013 and wish him our very best.”

Smith, 23, produced a goal and three assists in nine games for Pittsburgh this season. He had a total of seven goals and 36 assists in 114 games for the New Jersey Devils the previous two seasons.

Bunting, 28, had 13 goals and 23 assists in 60 games this season in his first campaign with Carolina. He previously played for the Arizona Coyotes and Toronto Maple Leafs.

Ponomarev, 21, had a goal and an assist in two games for the Hurricanes this season. He also has played for two AHL teams in 2023-24.

Koivunen, 20, is playing for a team in his native Finland.

Lucius, 19, is playing for the University of Wisconsin.

The Hurricanes, after a 4-1 home win over the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday, sit in second place in the Metropolitan Division, four points behind the New York Rangers.

The Penguins, who fell 6-0 to the visiting Washington Capitals on Thursday, are in seventh in the Metropolitan Division, eight points out of a playoff position.

–Field Level Media