Oct 14: The Hurricanes have officially announced the contract for Smallman, at the reported terms. GM Don Waddell released a short statement on his young forward:
Spencer has continued to improve each season since turning pro. He took another positive step in his development last season and we hope he can take another step forward next year.
Oct 13: The Hurricanes have taken care of one of their minor league restricted free agents. CapFriendly reports (Twitter link) that Carolina has signed winger Spencer Smallman to a one-year, two-way deal. The contract pays $735K in the NHL and $70K in the AHL which means that he accepted his qualifying offer.
The 24-year-old was a fifth-round pick of the ’Canes back in 2015 (138th overall) but hasn’t had a lot of success at the professional level so far aside from a good showing in the 2018 ECHL playoffs. Last season, Smallman played in 47 games with Carolina’s AHL affiliate in Charlotte but managed just three goals and ten assists but still was able to land a qualifying offer last week.
Smallman must pass through waivers next season to return to the Checkers but that should happen without much concern. Once he returns to the minor league level, he’ll need to take a big step forward in his offensive production. If not, he’ll be a candidate to be non-tendered next offseason given that he’ll be entering his age-25 season in 2021-22.
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