The Carolina Hurricanes are set to include Michael Bunting as part of a package in a deal with the Pittsburgh Penguins for scoring winger Jake Guentzel, Sportsnet can confirm.
The Hurricanes announced before Thursday’s game against the Montreal Canadiens that Bunting was being held out for trade-related reasons.
The move will reunite Bunting with ex-Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas, who now runs the show in Pittsburgh.
Bunting, 28, has 13 goals and 13 assists in 60 games this season. The Toronto native signed a three-year, $13.5-million deal with the Hurricanes last summer following two 23-goal seasons with the Maple Leafs.
Guentzel, 29, is a pending UFA who is in the midst of his seventh-straight 20-goal season.
Guentzel has been out of the lineup since suffering an upper-body injury on Feb. 14. In 50 games this season, he has 22 goals and 52 points.
The move marks a pivot for the struggling Penguins, who are now on track to miss the playoffs for a second consecutive year. The pieces acquired in this trade will be used to help the Penguins as they begin to transition the roster to a new, younger core.
The Hurricanes sit second in the Metropolitan Division.
