The situation surrounding the future of forward Steven Stamkos with the Tampa Bay Lightning is more than nebulous, he who will reach full autonomy on 1is July, the day the free agent market opened. Thus, Julien BriseBois, the general manager of the team, would have a name in mind to replace his captain: Jake Guentzel.
Indeed, the 29-year-old forward, who will also be an unrestricted free agent in a few days, would even be the club’s priority according to informant Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.
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Guentzel and the Carolina Hurricanes, who acquired him at the trade deadline from the Pittsburgh Penguins, have reportedly discussed an eight-year, $8 million-per-year contract extension, but the player is now reportedly willing to test the market.
“Several teams said they heard the winger would stay in Carolina,” Friedman wrote in an article published Saturday. But, as we approach 1is July, these same sources indicated that “Guentzel decided that the longer it took, the more he thought about testing free agency, because it was his right.”
The Tampa Bay Lightning had a busy day on Saturday as BriseBois traded defenseman Mikhail Sergachev to Utah and forward Tanner Jeannot to the Los Angeles Kings.
These two transactions allowed the Florida team to free up more than $10 million on the payroll, and they now have room to maneuver of $16.5 million according to the specialized site CapFriendly.
In 2023-2024, Guentzel has 30 goals and 47 assists for 77 points in 67 games.
