Earlier this offseason, the Tampa Bay Lightning traded their 2025 third-round pick to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for the signing rights of Jake Guentzel. In the end, the gamble paid off for the Lightning, as they signed the star winger to a seven-year, $63 million contract.
Guentzel is now anticipated to be a massive part of the Lightning's top six moving forward. It is understandable, as he has been one of the game's top point producers over the last several seasons. This trend also carried over to 2023-24, as the Omaha, Nebraska native posted 30 goals, 77 points, and a plus-25 rating in 67 games split between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Carolina Hurricanes.
Due to his strong play, ESPN believes Guentzel will have another excellent season. In their player projections for the 2024-25 season, they see Guentzel posting 41 goals and 80 points in 78 games.
If Guentzel scores 41 goals in 2024-25, it would be a new career high for the superstar winger. He has scored 40 goals twice in his career, achieving the feat in 2018-19 and 2021-22.
It will be exciting to see if Guentzel can live up to ESPN's projections from here. When noting that he will have superstars like Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point, and Victor Hedman to play with, he will undoubtedly have plenty of help around him.
