Maple Leafs have sights set on Jake Guentzel if salary can be moved out

According to a report from an NHL insider, the Toronto Maple Leafs have huge plans if the team can manage to shed the salary of forward Mitch Marner. According to Frank Seravalli, General Manager Brad Treliving has his sights set on one of the biggest names on the free agent market come July 1 in Jake Guentzel.

There is still time for the Carolina Hurricanes to sign Guentzel to an extension before he hits the free agent market. However, the Canes are in a similar spot to the Maple Leafs where money would have to be moved in order to make it happen. Guentzel is finishing up a five year deal signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2018 that carried a cap hit of $6 million per season. The 29-year-old is in line for a big raise.

Seravalli also mentions that Vancouver is expected to be all-in on attempting to sign Guentzel, as the team tries to shore up it's lineup for the 2024-25 season.

Guentzel has played 520 games in the NHL so far in his career, and is very close to a point-per-game player with 491. He's also played 69 games in the post season, scoring 38 goals and 68 points. This makes him a very attractive option to just about any team in the league looking to improve their squad. There's no doubt he'll have plenty of offers if he makes it to July 1 without a new contract with Carolina.