Report: Utah extends Guenther to long-term deal

The future gets a little clearer for Bill Armstrong and company, as the team is reportedly close to extending Dylan Guenther to an eight-year deal worth slightly more than $7 million annually, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.
Guenther was not available for comment after Friedman’s report surfaced, though he did speak to media after practice.
This deal is likely the first of many dominoes to fall as Utah secures its long-term future. Other young stars, including Logan Cooley and Josh Doan, have shown well at the NHL level so far and they both have the potential to be major parts of the franchise long term. The team also has a seemingly endless supply of blue-chip prospects in the system, many of whom could contribute to the NHL team in the next few years.
Guenther will become the highest-paid forward on Utah HC’s roster, surpassing Clayton Keller’s $7.15 million.
The announcement came about 45 minutes after Guenther and his teammates left the ice for Friday’s session of training camp. Some media members said he seemed a little giddy after practice — that would probably be why.
Despite only spending half of last season in the NHL, Guenther scored 18 goals and 35 points. That’s a 33-goal, 64-point pace over an 82-game season. He also posted 28 points in 29 AHL games last year.
Guenther has one year remaining on his entry-level contract, which pays him $894,176 per year. The new deal will start in the 2025-26 season.
Young players are getting paid in the NHL for their potential, rather than their history. Lots of teams sign young players to long-term deals at lower numbers, hoping that they outperform those contracts in the future.
This trend paid off nicely for the New Jersey Devils when they locked up Jack Hughes in 2021 for eight years at $8 million per year. At that point, his career high in points was a mere 31, which caused much skepticism. His play exploded that next season, scoring 99 points in 78 games.
Hughes’ contract is now widely regarded as one of the best in the league from the team’s perspective.
Some teams, such as the Ottawa Senators and the Buffalo Sabres, have handed out long-term contracts to nearly all their promising youngsters. It remains to be seen whether some of these players will blossom into the superstars that the teams expect them to be, which is the risk associated with committing eight years and many tens of millions of dollars to someone who hasn’t played a full season in the NHL yet.