All signs point to Jake Guentzel joining the Hurricanes

Although several players are available on the trade market, Jake Guentzel is quite possibly the biggest fish available. The Penguins forward, a scorer at heart, is by far the best available forward on the market.

But it looks like he may not be on the market for much longer: according to reports, Guentzel will finish the season with the Hurricanes.

At least, there’s momentum in that direction right now.

Michael Bunting is also rumored to be heading in the opposite direction.

He’s not in uniform tonight.

In the end, it would be the Hurricanes who would win the Guentzel derby, a derby that saw several teams try their luck in the hope of getting their hands on the Penguins forward.

Remember that the Canucks were in the mix (and that Elias Lindholm would have been sent to Boston in a huge three-team deal), as were the Rangers. That said, the Hurricanes appear to be on the verge of snapping up the maverick.

The good news is that the Canadiens won’t have to face Guentzel tonight. The forward hasn’t played since February 14, but is close to a return to action.

In short, a great deal for the Hurricanes, who are getting their hands on the best player still available on the market.

All that remains is to see what the Penguins’ return will look like.

Extension

The Hurricanes may not have gotten Elias Pettersson in the end, but in Guentzel, they still get a high-quality forward.

However, Jesperi Kotkaniemi didn’t go the other way in this transaction, which could well have been the case in the Pettersson deal.