TAMPA – In a less messy situation, this would have been Jake Guentzel’s moment. But the Lightning’s biggest signing of an incoming player in franchise history served as a sidebar to what the organization lost during the opening of free agency on Monday.
Fans will no doubt be excited for Guentzel’s arrival after signing a seven-year contract with the Lightning worth an average annual value of $9 million, but he may forever be linked to the player the organization chose to replace him with in the same season. The day someone showed him the door – longtime captain Steven Stamkos.
The 29-year-old Guentzel has all the tools to make the Lightning a better team. He has an amazing ability to find scoring opportunities around the net and has matched up with elite talents, so he should fit in well on the left wing of Tampa Bay’s top line alongside Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point.
But it didn’t take long for Guentzel to face the questions he faced in his first media availability as a Bolt on Monday, turning to the pressure he faces when he essentially replaces the longtime face of the Lightning franchise. Minutes after free agency opened at noon, Stamkos finalized an acrimonious split with the organization by signing a four-year deal with Nashville with an annual average value of $8 million.
“Look, he’s a Hall of Famer, he’s a special player,” Guentzel said an hour before free agency opened Monday. “I have the utmost respect for that guy. From what I’ve heard, he’s an incredible player and person, so I’m not really sure what’s going on or what happened.
“It’s part of the business. You’re never really sure what’s going to happen, but obviously it was hard for me and my family to pass up this opportunity. In this hockey game, there will be pressure wherever you play, so I think you just have to make sure you make the most of the opportunity.
Guentzel has taken advantage of opportunities throughout his career.
He won the Stanley Cup during his rookie season in Pittsburgh in 2016–17, leading the league with 13 playoff goals, including five game-winners. He took advantage of his top-line role alongside players like Sidney Crosby and Evgeni McLuckin and recorded 30 or more goals in each of the last three seasons. And when he joined Carolina at last season’s trade deadline, he boosted his free-agency stock, averaging 1.47 points and then adding nine points in 11 playoff games.
Once the Lightning backed off from re-signing Stamkos, Guentzel became the team’s top target and general manager Julien Brisebois freed up cap space. After trading top-paid defenseman Mikhail Sergachev and underperforming forward Tanner Jeannot on Saturday and halting talks to retain Stamkos, Tampa Bay went from a team with just $5.335 million in cap room to one with $16.5 million Went.
After Guentzel and Carolina could not come to an agreement, the Lightning traded for his rights on Sunday, finalizing a deal with him three hours before free agency opened.
“It’s definitely been a little bit of a whirlwind, the first time it’s been through this whole process, but obviously things didn’t work out in Carolina,” Guentzel said. “And then I heard that Tampa might trade for my rights and obviously I got really excited, because everybody hears how good the team is and how good this location is. … Obviously, my And it’s a really exciting time for my family. Just can’t wait to get down there and see what it’s all about.”
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The 29-year-old Guentzel received the largest salary to join the Lightning in the offseason. The seven-year term matches the deal the franchise offered Ryan Malone in the summer of 2008.
“There are only positive things about Tampa and it seems like there are a lot of them, living the lifestyle, the atmosphere at the rink is incredible,” Guentzel said. “And if (money is) also part of it, that’s great. So there’s a lot of stuff behind the scenes that you’re really excited about. “It’s going to be a really fun time.”
Brisebois used his newfound cap space and Florida’s favorable tax status to make a contract Guentzel could not refuse. More than $53 million of the total value of the deal is in signing bonuses, giving him about 85% of the money he makes each season, including a $12.263 signing bonus this season.
Guentzel will play at a base salary of $1 million in six of the seven years. The contract includes a full no-move clause in the first four years and a modified clause with a 10-team trade list for the final three years.
Brisebois was consistent in his message throughout the offseason that the Lightning needed to get better defensively after finishing 22nd in the league. The acquisition of Guentzel achieves this, giving the team a responsible two-way, 5-on-5 player who can slide into the left wing slot on the first line.
Guentzel excelled for years in Pittsburgh, similar to one of the game’s best playmakers in Crosby. Now he will skate on a strong top forward line with the league’s top playmaking right-wing and former 50-goal scorer Point in Kucherov.
“Those two guys in particular are just elite players in this league, top players in the league, and by far the two guys you try to see more often than anybody,” Guentzel said. “They can obviously score a lot of goals and make a lot of plays.
“So, if it happens to be where I’m playing with them, I’m really excited to be open for them and try to get them the puck as much as possible. …I have experience playing with good players, and if I get a chance to play with those guys it will be really fun for me and I can’t wait.
Still, the Lightning will look to improve their other three lines. Even after signing Guentzel, they still have $7.5 million in cap space, and an extension for defenseman Victor Hedman could come as soon as today, the first day players can enter the final year of their contracts.
Dumba, Duclair move forward
Two players the Lightning acquired at last season’s trade deadline signed elsewhere on Monday. Forward Anthony Duclair signed a deal with the Islanders (four years, $3.5 million average annual value), and defenseman Matt Dumba went to the Stars (two years, $3.75 million).
This story will be updated.
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