Tampa Bay Lightning forward Jake Guentzel had been in the visiting dressing room of PPG Paints Arena prior to Tuesday’s morning skate.
He was stationed there as a member of the Carolina Hurricanes on March 26 during the late stages of the 2023-24 season.
But even before that, some of his first steps as an NHLer took place in that room when the building was called Consol Energy Center.
A third-round draft pick (No. 77 overall) of the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2013, Guentzel and several other hopefuls gathered that year as well as for prospect camps in 2014 and 2015.
He and other future NHLers who eventually helped the franchise claim Stanley Cup championships such as Bryan Rust, Brian Dumoulin and Matt Murray were in that room.
“It brings back a lot of memories,” Guentzel said Tuesday. “Prospect camp seems a while ago, but it’s just those times you remember coming in as a young kid. You get to meet a lot of people. Definitely good times.”
Guentzel, who turned 30 on Oct. 6, seems to be having a good time thus far as a member of the Lightning.
After he failed to reach an agreement on a contract extension with the Hurricanes, that team traded his signing rights to the Tampa Bay Lightning on June 30. One day later, he signed a seven-year contract with a salary cap hit of $9 million.
In addition to the benefits of making seven figures in a state that has no income tax, Guentzel has found himself on the left wing of the Lightning’s top line with a pair of All-Stars in center Brayden Point and right winger Nikita Kucherov.
Power play goal for Tampa Bay!
Scored by Jake Guentzel with 13:37 remaining in the 3rd period.
Assisted by Victor Hedman and Nikita Kucherov.
Minnesota: 2
Tampa Bay: 2#TBLvsMIN#mnwild#GoBoltspic.twitter.com/oa7s6YpUIa— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) November 2, 2024
“They’re high-end players,” Guentzel said. “Obviously, they think the game at a high level. Kucherov is just unbelievable. … Just his shot. Brayden, how fast he is and how good of a playmaker he is as well. It’s been fun. They communicate really well so it helps for me too.”
Before Tuesday, Guentzel had appeared in 16 games and scored 17 points (seven goals, 19 assists), second on the team only to Kucherov’s 26 points (11 goals, 15 assists).
As was the case for the parts of eight seasons he enjoyed with the Penguins as a prolific complementary winger to franchise center Sidney Crosby, Guentzel just knows how to play with the best.
“He’s always been tough to play against,” said defenseman Victor Hedman, the Lightning’s captain. “He finds those soft areas. He’s got a great release. And his playmaking abilities (are) phenomenal. It wasn’t a surprise to us. He fit in right away. That just goes to show how smart of a player he is because you could see that transition from Pittsburgh to Carolina. It felt like he fit in right away in Carolina too. He’s a versatile player that can play anywhere.”
There were hopes — including by himself — that the only place Guentzel would ever play was Pittsburgh. But that never materialized.
As a pending unrestricted free agent, Guentzel and Penguins management never had substantive discussions on a potential contract extension last season. By March 7, with the Penguins struggling to remain in the playoff picture, president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas jettisoned Guentzel and spare defenseman Ty Smith to the Hurricanes in exchange for forwards Michael Bunting, Ville Koivunen, Cruz Lucius, Vasily Ponomarev and what turned out to be a second-round draft pick that was used to select defenseman Harrison Brunicke (No. 44 overall) in the second round this past June.
“It was chaotic,” Guentzel said of the time between being traded by the Penguins and signing with the Lightning. “A lot going on. You’re not really sure what was going to happen. Up in the air every day. It was nice to get a breather after that all happened. Here we are now and I’m happy where I ended up.
“It’s just part of the business. You know things are going to happen like that. You’re not really sure from my end what was going to happen, especially being (injured) at that time. Kind of seeing and hearing everything that’s out there. It is what it is and you move on.”
His former teammates are well aware of what Guentzel is as an offensive threat.
“He’s just a smart player,” said Crosby, hardly a dullard himself. “He knows when to use his speed and when to get lost a little bit. He competes really hard. There shouldn’t be any secrets.”
Guentzel isn’t hiding his feelings about his time with the Lightning to this point.
“Good culture, good group and a team that can win,” Guentzel said. “I thought it was a good spot for me and my family and it’s been working out so far.”