Canucks ready to offer Guentzel big money in free agency: report
The Vancouver Canucks are ready to spend in free agency, as it appears they have their sights set on Jake Guentzel.
Vancouver was reportedly interested in acquiring Guentzel before the trade deadline, when the Pittsburgh Penguins traded the Omaha, Nebraska, native to the Carolina Hurricanes.
It doesn’t appear Guentzel will re-sign in Carolina, as the Hurricanes have reportedly offered up his negotiating rights for a draft pick.
Assuming the two-time 40-goal scorer hits free agency, the Canucks will surely be offering him a boatload of money on July 1.
The Canucks are expected to “make a strong play” for Guentzel, according to a report this morning from NHL insider Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff. Seravalli’s sources informed him the Canucks could offer the “best mix of money and opportunity.”
GM Patrik Allvin has a lot of money to play with this summer, but he also has a number of holes to fill, given that Elias Lindholm, Nikita Zadorov, Tyler Myers, Ian Cole, Dakota Joshua, and Teddy Blueger, among others, are pending unrestricted free agents.
If the Canucks spend what’s required to get Guentzel, they’ll have to go cheap in other areas. Seravalli is reporting it could be as expensive as a seven-year contract worth $9.5 million per season. AFP Analytics is projecting a seven-year deal worth $9.3 million per season for Guentzel, which is their second-highest projection, behind only Florida’s Sam Reinhart (8 x $11.3M).
It may be worth it, given Guentzel’s profile, though he does turn 30 in October. Guentzel fits the Canucks’ biggest need heading into this offseason: a scoring winger to play alongside Elias Pettersson.
A longtime linemate of Sidney Crosby, Guentzel has 491 points in 520 career regular season games. He had 77 points in 67 games last season, split between Pittsburgh and Carolina.
Despite his small stature (he’s listed at 5-foot-11 and 180 pounds), Guentzel has a well-earned reputation as a playoff performer. He was a big reason why the Penguins won the Stanley Cup in 2017, scoring 21 points in 25 games. Guentzel has eye-popping playoff numbers in his career, with 67 points in 69 games.
Guentzel knows Allvin and Canucks president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford from their Pittsburgh days. He also spent one season with Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet, who was a Pittsburgh assistant when they won the Cup together in 2017.
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