8:17 pm: According to PuckPedia, Stastny’s contract carries a no-trade clause, as well as a $500K performance bonus for winning the Stanley Cup, per CapFriendly.
11:18 am: The Carolina Hurricanes have signed forward Paul Stastny to a one-year, $1.5MM contract, taking one of the best free agent centers remaining off the market.
Team president and general manager Don Waddell spoke on the deal:
Paul is an extremely reliable veteran who has been effective at both ends of the ice for his entire career. He adds even more experience and leadership to our forward group, and we are excited to have him in Carolina.
He’s right about Stastny being effective at both ends of the ice. The veteran of over 1000 games is solid defensively in his own right but also excels in the faceoff circle. Turning 37 in December, Stastny still managed over 20 goals and 45 points in 71 games for the Winnipeg Jets last season.
Where Stastny actually fits into the Carolina lineup remains to be seen. Stastny still consistently plays top-six minutes and holds his own doing so, but no one can be sure when age will finally catch up to him in that regard. There’s a big question mark at the second-line center spot for Carolina, and it’ll likely be an open-season competition between Stastny, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, and Martin Necas to see who fits that role best.
For Stastny, joining the Hurricanes provides him with a pretty solid opportunity to hoist a Stanley Cup over his head for the first time in his 16-season career. They’re still extremely scary on paper now, and they’ll be getting an in-house trade deadline acquisition as Max Pacioretty returns to health after the All-Star break. A revamped defense including Brent Burns, Dylan Coghlan, and a healthy Jake Gardiner should be fun to watch, and with the continued development of players like Kotkaniemi, Necas, and Seth Jarvis, the Hurricanes again seem like a strong threat to come out of the East.
Good depth move by the Canes.
A terrific signing by the Canes!
For 1.5 million it is a great signing. With 20 goals last year the Bruins could have used him but they brought back the assist machine Kreji back for almost the same money. Smh.
Package Necas and Bear for more offensive support?
Slows down a fast team.
Trocheck for Stastny is a big time downgrade.
Maybe, but he singed for too much money
The hope is that KK replaces Trochecks production. Stastny seems like depth scoring to hold over until Patches returns or if something goes wrong with Patches recovery.
The Staal line wasnt predicated on speed so if he replaces Nino with Staal and Fast this could work out well as a stopgap.
Would have loved the Bruins to make room for him. Could’ve killed two birds with one stone by trading Coyle. Sacrifice a little size for cap space and acquired a draft pick or prospect in return.
Great signing especially at that price. I also love the Burns signing since he won’t be used as much as he was in San Jose (at least I think) and should fit in well with guys like Slavin and Pesce and he is a size upgrade over Deangelo
This smells like trouble. If Stastny really does have miles left in the tank, he would have either A) Been signed long before this, or B) Been signed for more than a measly $1.5 million. Feels like one of those situations where the league is telling you what teams actually think, and it ain’t positive. Also why “name” guys like Phil Kessel, Victor Rask, and Cody Eakin are still available. Teams know.
Not necessarily. The Cap limit hasn’t increased as much as forecastEd from a few years ago meaning most contending teams are at or over the limit right now and Statsny isn’t the type of player rebuilding teams sign. Also at 37 he probably wants another shot at the cup meaning he couldve turned down several deals for more money from non contending or borderline teams.
Surprised that Colorado didn’t bring him back where he started.
Wow, didn’t think the Canes would land him. Very nice addition!
Still remember when his father and uncles were brought out of what was then Czechoslovakia. Now he’s a veteran nearing the end of his career. Won’t be long till the grandkids of the players I rooted for as a kid will be lighting up the NHL. Getting old…
Would have liked to see Billy G. Sign him