If it were up to Jake Guentzel, he'd still be a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins.

"My intention was to stay," the Carolina Hurricanes forward said after his team's 4-1 loss Tuesday against the Penguins, according to 93.7 The Fan's Jeff Hathhorn. "They just thought there was a better direction, to go a different way. It's out of my hands, not my choice."

Pittsburgh dealt Guentzel to the Hurricanes ahead of March's trade deadline for Michael Bunting, three prospects, and a conditional second-round pick.

Tuesday's game was his first in Pittsburgh since the trade. The Penguins honored Guentzel with a tribute video in the first period.

"It's special," Guentzel said. "You look back at all of the memories you've had here. It's just a cool little touch that they do."

The 29-year-old winger, a pending unrestricted free agent, spent his entire eight-season career in Pittsburgh before being sent to Carolina.

General manager Kyle Dubas said trading Guentzel was one of the most "difficult decisions" he's made as an executive. However, the deal left longtime captain Sidney Crosby without answers when asked by the media what message the move sent to the club.

Dubas later elaborated on the choice to move Guentzel, saying, "My sights were set on giving the team as long as possible to assert itself more in the race."

Guentzel has been on fire with two goals and 12 points in nine games with the Hurricanes. Carolina is up 16-1 in all situations with him on the ice, and the only goal against was an empty-netter.

The Penguins are nine points out of the Eastern Conference's second wild-card spot with 11 games to play. The Hurricanes are second in the Metropolitan Divison with 97 points.

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