The Carolina Hurricanes have added a goaltender to their pipeline, signing Zachary Sawchenko. The young netminder has agreed to a one-year, two-way contract worth $750K at the NHL level, $85K in the AHL, and includes a minor league guarantee of $110K. Sawchenko was left unqualified by the San Jose Sharks this week, making him an unrestricted free agent.
Signed as an undrafted free agent out of the Canadian college level–a pipeline rarely used by NHL teams–in 2019, Sawchenko quickly worked his way up the Sharks depth chart and made his NHL debut this season. He played in seven games, posting a .901 save percentage and his first win near the end of the year.
No one should believe that Sawchenko will be taking over the Hurricanes’ crease right away but adding a 24-year-old netminder with NHL experience isn’t always an opportunity that presents itself. Given that he is still waiver-exempt, he’ll be loaned to the minor leagues at the start of the season where he can continue his development.
With Frederik Andersen and Antti Raanta in place as the NHL tandem, the risk of injury is always high for the Carolina crease. Pyotr Kochetkov would be next on the depth chart but beyond him, the Hurricanes had no one signed after parting ways with Jack LaFontaine. Sawchenko will fill that gap, and may even get a chance to show what he can do in the NHL again, should injuries become an issue.