Top 5 game-changing free agents the Blackhawks can take from the Eastern Conference

Jake Guentzel, W/Carolina Hurricanes

It’s tough to see Jake Guentzel landing with a team that shouldn’t contend next season, but if Davidson looked to bring in one of the 2024 offseason’s most coveted names and gave him the right deal, it would be tough for the 29-year-old to turn down. This comes especially after Guentzel made an easy transition from the Pittsburgh Penguins to the Carolina Hurricanes, where he put up 25 points and eight goals in just 17 games with the latter. 

Guentzel hasn’t been as effective in five playoff games as of May 2nd, but he still registered four points and a goal in Round 1 against the Islanders. While Guentzel coming to the Windy City probably won’t happen, it would be a major boost for Connor Bedard, as they would form an immediate one-two combo. 

No, it wouldn’t last more than a half-decade, but consider a scenario where a veteran player would see a lot of value in coming to town and mentoring someone like Bedard and perhaps even Malcolm Celebrini or Ivan Demidov, depending on how the lottery works out on May 7th. 

Overall, this season, Guentzel saw time in 67 games and recorded 77 points and 30 goals. He set a career-high in points per game at 1.15, and there is a chance he has yet to reach his overall threshold.