Surprising Team Tried to Woo Jake Guentzel in Free Agency

Jake Guentzel was the prize catch of free agency this past summer, and the Tampa Bay Lightning were the big winners, while the Carolina Hurricanes, who dealt for him at last season's trade deadline, were the losers on that front.

It's not known how many other teams really had a shot at landing the perennial point-per-game forward, though it was fair to assume that he was looking for a shot with a potential Stanley Cup contender. But we have a new revelation from insider Elliotte Friedman that a surprise team tried to woo Guentzel.

Just like we heard that the rebuilding Anaheim Ducks went hard after, though came up short on Jonathan Marchessault and Steven Stamkos, the rebuilding Chicago Blackhawks tried to fast-track their rebuild as well.

“They took a run at Jake Guentzel, they wanted to get Jake Guentzel, I would have loved to see Bedard and Guentzel”

- Elliotte Friedman on Sportsnet pregame #Blackhawks
— Crash Dummy (@helloworld98x) October 8, 2024

Like the Ducks, Chicago also took some big swings this summer — making googly eyes at Jake Guentzel, who ultimately chose Tampa Bay. (Connor Bedard/Guentzel isn’t Tom Holland/Zendaya, but it sure would have been nice to look at.) They found different help for Bedard, and it’s a deeper roster.

The Hawks were rebuffed on the Guentzel front, but, as Friedman alluded to, they did make a few free agent splashes, adding Teuvo Teravainen and Tyler Bertuzzi to their top six, and Alec Martinez and TJ Brodie to their blueline.

Guentzel, meanwhile, should be set up for a massive season in Tampa Bay, playing on the top line with Brayden Point and reigning Art Ross Trophy winner Nikita Kucherov. Guentzel, however, left practice mysteriously three days ago, and there have been no updates from the Lightning. They open their season on Friday, coincidentally, against Guentzel's most recent former team, the Hurricanes.