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$63,000,000 star Jake Guentzel highlights key factor that convinced him to sign with Tampa Bay Lightning
Jake Guentzel, one of the NHL's top forwards, recently signed a seven-year, $63 million contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning. The 29-year-old winger cited the Lightning's consistent success as his main reason for joining.
"They all know how to win," Guentzel told NHL.com's Jessi Pierce. "There's just a winning pedigree there. (And I) still feel like we have a chance to win." (via NHL.com)
The Tampa Bay Lightning have been contenders in the NHL for years under Captain Steven Stamkos. They won two consecutive Stanley Cup championships in 2020 and 2021. After two first-round exits in recent seasons, Stamkos signed with the Nashville Predators this free agency.
"There's a lot of high-end players, elite players on the team, and just an unbelievable opportunity for me and my family to go do something else on our own," Guentzel said. "It's going to be fun for us. It's going to be different, it's going to be challenging, but it's going to be something that we're looking forward to."
Jake Guentzel's move to the Lightning marks a new chapter in his career. He won the Stanley Cup as a rookie with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2017.
Jake Guentzel's faith in Tampa Bay Lightning roster
Tampa Bay's roster carries stars like Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point, Victor Hedman and goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy. So, Guentzel will have strong support in his goal to win the Stanley Cup.
“I just want to help them try to win the Stanley Cup, I think that’s always the ultimate goal,” Guentzel said. “Obviously, it’s playoffs first but just kind of come in and do my thing. Play hockey and kind of have fun with it. I’m going to play with high-end players. It’s going to be challenging but that’s what makes hockey fun.”
Jake Guentzel faced challenges on his way to Tampa Bay. He played only 50 games with the Penguins last season due to injury but still managed to score 22 goals and register 30 assists before being traded to Carolina.
"It's a new team, a new division, and a new opportunity," Guentzel said. "Last year was a really different year for me with injury and being traded and what not, but I learned a lot too."
Last season, after being traded to the Carolina Hurricanes, he scored eight goals and 17 assists in 17 regular-season games. He added four goals and five assists in 11 playoff games. He has two 40-goal seasons in his career.
After playing parts of eight seasons with the Penguins, who drafted him 77th overall in 2013, Jake Guentzel will aim for another Stanley Cup.
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