It was reported today that Carolina Hurricanes forward Jake Guentzel is “very likely” to go to unrestricted free agency on July 1. He was traded from Pittsburgh to Carolina ahead of the trade deadline, and he could be a potential target for the Islanders if they are able obtain more cap space before July 1st.
The Fit
The fit with Guentzel on the Islanders is a very simple one, he’s a top line winger who has the ability to put up 90+ points playing on a top line and power play unit alongside Mathew Barzal and Bo Horvat. Adding Guentzel to this Islanders team could elevate them into a legitimate contender. Guentzel is exactly the type of player the Islanders have been looking for over the last few years in free agency, similar to Johnny Gaudreau, the fit makes sense, now it comes down to cap space.
The Price
The main concern when it comes to the Islanders pursuit of Jake Guentzel is the price tag it will take to sign him. The Islanders after resigning some of their pending free agents (Holmstrom, MacLean, Iskhakov, Reilly, Clutterbuck), will have have just under $5 Million in cap space. If the Islanders trade a contract like Anders Lee along with a second round pick, they’ll have enough cap space to sign Jake Guentzel. I think he’ll get a 7 year deal with an AAV of $9.5 Million, making him the highest paid player on the Islanders roster.
Lines With Guentzel:
Guentzel-Horvat-Barzal
Holmstrom-Nelson-Palmieri
Tsyplakov-Pageau-Engvall
MacLean-Cizikas-Clutterbuck
Romanov-Dobson
Pelech-Pulock
Reilly-Mayfield
Sorokin
Varlamov
BS Reports 
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