During the 2024 NHL off-season, the Tampa Bay Lightning signed star forward Jake Guentzel to a seven-year, $63 million contract. This was shortly after they acquired his signing rights from the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for a 2025 third-round pick.
Now, with Guentzel's first season with the Lightning complete, it is absolutely apparent that they made the right call bringing him to Tampa Bay. The 30-year-old winger provided the Lightning with exactly what they were hoping for in 2024-25 and cemented himself as a piece of their core in the process.
Guentzel absolutely thrived in the Lightning's top six perfectly this season, and the truth is in his stats. In 80 regular-season games during his first season as a Bolt, he posted 41 goals, 39 assists, 80 points, and a plus-18 rating. He also contributed offensively during the Lightning's short post-season run, recording three goals and six points in five games.
There is always some risk in a team handing out a long-term and expensive contract to a player who has never played a game for them beforehand. Naturally, it can take time for a player to adjust to a new club's system, but Guentzel fit in incredibly well immediately. Now, the Lightning have him locked up for six more seasons, which is undoubtedly huge for the Atlantic Division club.
It is going to be fascinating to see how Guentzel builds off his first excellent season with the Lightning, but it is hard not to feel optimistic about his future with the team. If he keeps putting together seasons like his 2024-25 campaign, this move will only continue to get better for the Lightning.
