RALEIGH, NC. - Don Waddell, President and General Manager of the National Hockey League’s Carolina Hurricanes, today announced that the team has acquired forward Jake Guentzel and defenseman Ty Smith from the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for forwards Michael Bunting, Ville Koivunen, Cruz Lucius, and Vasily Ponomarev, as well as two conditional draft picks in the 2024 NHL Draft. As a condition of the trade, the Penguins will retain 25% of Guentzel’s salary.
“Jake is an elite goal scorer and playmaker who has produced at a high level for his entire NHL career,” said Waddell. “Ty is a young, offensive-minded defenseman who will provide us with another reliable option on the blue line. We’re thrilled to bolster our lineup as we compete to bring the Stanley Cup back to Raleigh.”
The Hurricanes will send a first-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft to the Penguins if Carolina advances to the Stanley Cup Final. If the Hurricanes do not reach the Stanley Cup Final, they will send the Penguins a second-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft. If Carolina wins the Stanley Cup, they will send Pittsburgh an additional fifth-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft.
Guentzel, 29, has registered 52 points (22g, 30a) in 50 NHL games with Pittsburgh this season. The 5’11”, 180-pound winger has totaled 466 points (219g, 247a) in 503 career NHL games, all with the Penguins. Guentzel has scored at least 20 goals in seven consecutive seasons, including 40-goal seasons in 2018-19 and 2021-22. He is one of nine NHL players who have posted both 20 goals and 20 assists in each of the last seven seasons (2017-24), alongside Sebastian Aho, Leon Draisaitl, Nathan MacKinnon, Brad Marchand, Auston Matthews, Connor McDavid, David Pastrnak and Brayden Point.
Guentzel has posted 58 points (34g, 24a) in 58 career playoff games and won a Stanley Cup with the Penguins in 2016-17. He also appeared in 44 AHL games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton from 2016-17, registering 48 points (23g, 25a). Guentzel played three years of college hockey at the University of Nebraska-Omaha from 2013-16, tallying 119 points (40g, 79a) in 108 NCAA games. The Omaha, Neb., native was drafted by Pittsburgh in the third round, 77th overall, of the 2013 NHL Draft.
Smith, 23, has tallied 32 points (9g, 23a) in 51 AHL games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton this season. The 5’11”, 180-pound blueliner has skated in 123 career NHL games with Pittsburgh and New Jersey, registering 47 points (8g, 39a). Smith was named to the 2020-21 NHL All-Rookie Team and led all rookie defensemen with 23 points (2g, 21a) in 48 games. He has recorded 56 points (16g, 40a) in 90 career AHL games, all with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
Smith captained the WHL’s Spokane Chiefs for two seasons from 2018-20 and won the Bill Hunter Trophy as the league’s best defenseman in both seasons. He registered 235 points (45g, 190a) in 240 career WHL games with the Chiefs from 2016-20. Smith represented Canada at the IIHF World Junior Championships in 2019 and 2020, serving as an alternate captain and winning gold in 2020. The Lloydminster, Alta., native was drafted by the Devils in the first round, 17th overall, of the 2018 NHL Draft.
Bunting, 28, has earned 36 points (13g, 23a) in 60 games with the Hurricanes this season. The 6’0”, 192-pound forward has skated in 247 career NHL games with Arizona, Toronto and Carolina, posting 162 points (70g, 92a). A native of Scarborough, Ont., Bunting signed with the Hurricanes as a free agent on July 1, 2023.
Koivunen, 20, has registered 55 points (23g, 34a) in 57 Liiga games with Karpat in 2023-24. The 5’11”, 161-pound forward has tallied 112 points (44g, 68a) in 162 career Liiga games, all with Karpat. Koivunen also played 12 AHL games with Chicago last season, scoring one goal. The Oulu, Finland, native was selected by Carolina in the second round, 51st overall of the 2021 NHL Draft.
Lucius, 19, has tallied 31 points (12g, 19a) in 32 NCAA games with Wisconsin this season. The 6’1”, 183-pound forward has posted 65 points (23g, 42a) in 66 career games with the Badgers. The Lawrence, Kan., native was selected by the Hurricanes in the fourth round, 124th overall, of the 2022 NHL Draft.
Ponomarev, 21, has posted 29 points (8g, 21a) in 41 AHL games with Chicago and Tucson this season. The 5’10”, 181-pound forward also skated in his first two NHL games with Carolina, registering two points (1g, 1a) in his debut against Washington on Jan. 5. Ponomarev has recorded 85 points (35g, 50a) in 116 career AHL games and added six points (1g, 5a) in 18 playoff games during the Wolves’ run to the Calder Cup championship in 2022. The Moscow, Russia, native was selected by Carolina in the second round, 53rd overall, of the 2020 NHL Draft.
