Saturday: The Hurricanes have officially announced Lyon’s deal at the previously-reported terms. The deal will carry a guaranteed payout of $250K. Letunov’s deal was later confirmed as well and carries a $140K guarantee.
Friday: The Carolina Hurricanes just keep signing players. Since the free agent market opened on Wednesday, the ‘Canes had already signed ten players. Make that a dozen now, as CapFriendly reports two new additions to Carolina’s list of newcomers. Forward Max Letunov and goaltender Alex Lyon have each signed one-year, two-way contracts worth the minimum $750K. Lyon will make $200K in the AHL, while Letunov will make $100K.
Lyon, 28, is entering a Carolina net situation that is completely new and different. Gone is the trio of Petr Mrazek, James Reimer, and Alex Nedeljkovic and arriving are Frederik Andersen, Antti Raanta, and now Lyon as the presumptive No. 3. The former Philadelphia Flyer will have to watch his back though; well-regarded prospects Eetu Makiniemi and Beck Warm are also expected to compete for AHL starts. Lyon brings valuable experience to the depth chart however. In four pro seasons, though never beginning the year on the NHL roster, Lyon played in 22 games with the Flyers, as well as nearly 150 career AHL appearances. Given the age and inconsistency issues of the Hurricanes’ new tandem, Lyon could easily make an NHL appearance for a fifth straight year.
Letunov, 25, is less likely to play a critical depth role for Carolina this season, but is a nice option for the team to call on. A star at the University of Connecticut, Letunov has produced in three AHL seasons as well, but it only earned him three games with the San Jose Sharks. The Russian product was a second-round pick back in 2014 due to his impressive skill, but has yet to show a complete game that will keep him in an NHL lineup. The Hurricanes could do far worse for a short-term top-nine injury replacement though.
Good thing the league has that 50 signed player limit or else the Canes might sign the entire ECHL. :D
@Gbear – When you mentioned the dreaded Extremely Corrupt Hockey League, aka Prison Rules Hockey League there, I had to see who their affiliate is these days. Well, wouldn’t you know it, they don’t even have one! But, there is a pretty good article on the “canescountry” website documenting some of the turmoil in the Hurricanes’ dealings with the “Premier AA Hockey League.” Maybe the best thing I came across was “#DundonSoCheap”! Don Waddell may have to start trolling the Slobovian Beer League for new recruits. :)
No more Swamp Rabbits affiliation? :0
Dundon is the Jack Benney of NHL owners. Hope other teams refuse to let the Canes dock their players on their ECHL rosters. Maybe Alex Lyon can take the crease for a local mens league outfit. :D
@Gbear – SwampRabbits, one-and-Dun-don! And, speaking of Jack Benny…
Robber: “Your money, or your life!”
Jack:”…”
Robber: “I said, your money or your life!!!”
Jack: “I’m thinking it over!”
—————————————
Jack: “Rochester, open that bear’s mouth and get that $5 back!”
Rochester: “Boss, I wouldn’t open that bear’s mouth if my best friend was in there!”
And here I was afraid my Jack Benney analogy would be lost on everyone, lol!
@Gbear – I was listening to these and many more in radio reruns as a kid, and still have shows on cassettes! Good times!
Apologies to @Gavin/@Brian/@Zach/@Josh for being a bit off-topic here. I thought we could use a bit of fun during the NHL dog days…
Carolina is taking a quantity over quality approach this offseason. “Sure, we lost our #1 goalie and #1 defenseman, but we signed 12 new free agents. And 12 is bigger than 2, so clearly we’re better!”
The myth that Tom Dundon is cheap continues to spread. How is he cheap when he is willing to spend to the cap? Is he cheap because he didn’t want to pay Dougie Hamilton $9 million?
I’ve watched Dougie for three years as a Cane and he’s not worth anywhere near that much. He’s a low 40-pt per year player who has critical lapses on defense (he is good on the shootout, though). Canes fans really liked Dougie and he seemed to fit in well here after problems with two prior teams. The fact that he was willing to give that up and go to a losing team for more $$$ tells me more than I need to know about him.
The Canes have made some great moves so far, such as trading Foegele (a hustler who had big problems finishing) for Ethan Bear and signing defensive veterans Ian Cole and Brendan Smith. The head-scratcher, of course, was trading Nedeljkovic for a third-round pick, since Bernier ended up signing with New Jersey. Apparently Rod and the organization didn’t think Ned was the goalie of the future. Time will tell whether the decision was a good one. If Andersen and Raanta (who they got for a song) can stay healthy, they may wind up being a better tandem than Ned and Mrazek, and give the Canes a few more years to find THAT goalie.
The DeAngelo signing was controversial, but it’s a high reward, low risk possibility for the Canes. If he doesn’t work out, Rod quickly will be done with him and he’ll be gone. If he has changed ways, then he could be a better point producer on the blue line than Dougie. What’s not to like about that move?
One thing for sure: It will be an interesting season for the Canes.
You think DeAngelo is low risk? It’s low term and low cost, but not low risk. You risk messing up the room, team chemistry, corporate sponsorship, fan support. The contract is not the only thing involved in risk. And to assume he will put up elite offensive numbers is wrong too. He has had 1 season where he put up great numbers out of 5. And his other stats show he is usually a defensive liability.
Yes, low risk. Do you think RB is going to allow DeAngelo to mess up the room and team chemistry? DeAngelo will be on a very short leash with RB holding the other end. No way RB is going to let him mess up the team. And it’s a one year contract—if DeAngelo doesn’t produce, he’s gone. If DeAngelo changes his attitude, becomes a team player, and scores 40-50 points, this will be a great move. So, yes, low risk, high potential reward.