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Carolina Hurricanes Sign Brendan Lemieux

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1:35 PM: The Hurricanes have confirmed the signing via a press release.

9:49 AM: Unrestricted free agent forward Brendan Lemieux is preparing to sign with the Carolina Hurricanes on a one-year contract worth $800K, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports Tuesday.

Lemieux, 27, split last season between the Los Angeles Kings and Philadelphia Flyers after a deadline day trade sent him cross-country. The 6-foot-1, 213-pound troublemaking winger scored twice in 18 games for the Flyers after the trade and amassed a total of nine points and 74 penalty minutes in 45 games throughout last season.

Carolina will be Lemieux’s fifth NHL organization, and this is his first time switching teams via free agency. The son of four-time Stanley Cup champion Claude Lemieux had been traded four times in nine years since the Buffalo Sabres selected him with the 31st overall pick in 2014.

This isn’t the roster move most Hurricanes fans were bracing for. With the team linked to higher-profile names such as Erik Karlsson and Vladimir Tarasenko in recent days, as well as a rumored trade for Anthony DeAngelo (a former teammate of Lemieux’s with the New York Rangers), many thought the Hurricanes were in a holding pattern until they were able to fit in one more big move, one that will require some creative money management with the team boasting just $3.3MM in projected cap space, per CapFriendly.

Those discussions haven’t stopped Carolina from making a depth add, evidently. Given the current state of Carolina’s wing depth, it seems unlikely Lemieux will be able to secure an everyday fourth-line role. It won’t be anything unusual for Lemieux, though, as he’s played more than 60 games in a season just once in his career.

He’ll battle for ice time with depth wingers like Jordan Martinook and Stefan Noesen, both of whom carry more scoring upside and played quite well for the Hurricanes down the stretch and into the playoffs for last season. He does provide an element of annoyance and tenacity that could give him an edge on getting into the lineup in some situations, though.

Lemieux will be an unrestricted free agent once again next summer.

Latest On Erik Karlsson Trade Talks

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Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported today on the NHL Network that the San Jose Sharks remain steadfast in their efforts to trade reigning Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson. Friedman goes on to say that the Carolina Hurricanes and Pittsburgh Penguins are the two teams that the Sharks are talking to and adds that Carolina may need to work out of a move for defenseman Brett Pesce to acquire some assets to complete a Karlsson deal.

On the Pittsburgh side of things, Josh Yohe of The Athletic wrote an article today that outlined why Erik Karlsson is the type of player that general manager Kyle Dubas needs to acquire. Yohe highlights exactly why Karlsson is the right player for the team and the situation the Penguins are currently in. While most of Yohe’s article is in defense of the Penguins acquiring the defenseman, he also adds a couple of pieces of information regarding a potential move. Yohe says that any move Pittsburgh makes for Karlsson would be complex and would involve a third team, which is no surprise given that Karlsson is owed $11.5MM annually for the next four seasons.

Friedman reported Tuesday on his 32 Thoughts Podcast that one hold-up to the potential deal was that teams wanted the Sharks to retain more of Karlsson’s cap hit. He went on to add that at the trade deadline in March San Jose was willing to retain between 18-20% of Karlsson’s cap hit to facilitate a deal. Friedman believes the Sharks will need to retain closer to 30% of the deal which would turn Karlsson into an $8MM player for the acquiring team, and should net the Sharks a better return. Something they are open to. Friedman also reported today on the NHL Network that he believes the Sharks have pursued unrestricted free-agent defenseman Matt Dumba as a possible replacement for Karlsson.

At this point, it almost feels as though the Penguins must acquire Karlsson. Not only would they block Carolina from adding Karlsson to their already stacked defensive unit, but it would help to jump-start their offence which became stale last year for long stretches. Pittsburgh feels like a team that needs a jolt as they have been unable to get out of the first round of the playoffs since 2018 and didn’t even qualify for the postseason last year. Adding a 101-point defenseman would also alleviate some of the offensive pressure off Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and the rest of the Penguins’ top-6 forward group who almost single-handily carried the team last season. And while Dubas has been busy overhauling the black hole that was the Penguins’ bottom six, he still hasn’t added much in the way of offensive firepower.

Carolina Hurricanes Re-Sign Dylan Coghlan

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The Carolina Hurricanes are retaining restricted free agent defenseman Dylan Coghlan, the team tweeted today. Per the North State Journal’s Cory Lavalette, it’s a one-year deal worth $850K.

Coghlan, 25, contributed three assists in 17 games during 2022-23 with the Hurricanes. It was a trying season for the defender, who spent most of it in the press box after coming over as a sweetener for Carolina to take the final season of Max Pacioretty’s contract off the hands of the Vegas Golden Knights. Still, Hurricanes general manager Don Waddell believes he’s a valuable piece of the team’s defensive depth:

Dylan is an important part of our blue line depth. He comes to the rink with a good attitude every day, and we’re glad to have him back.

In his NHL career, which began with Vegas in 2020-21, Coghlan has accumulated six goals and 16 assists for 22 points in 105 games. An undrafted free agent signing by the Knights out of juniors, the 6-foot-3, 207-pound defender got some extended NHL looks after strong play in the minors, namely in his first pro season.

2018-19 saw Coghlan lead all Chicago Wolves (then the AHL partner of the Knights) defensemen in points, scoring 15 goals and 40 points in 66 games. With Chicago spending the 2022-23 campaign as Carolina’s affiliate, Coghlan returned there on a short conditioning stint in December, where he scored twice and added an assist in five games.

Prior to his professional journey, the defenseman from Duncan, British Columbia, spent four seasons in the WHL, recording 38 goals and 107 assists for 145 points in 265 games with the Tri-City Americans from 2014 to 2018. With Carolina extending a massive short-term deal to Dmitry Orlov in free agency and likely acquiring Tony DeAngelo next weekend, Coghlan appears relegated to a seventh defenseman/press-box role once again, although it’s not for lack of trying. He put up solid two-way metrics during his limited action with Carolina last year, although he did play just under 13 minutes a game and wasn’t tested against any tough competition.

Latest On The Carolina Hurricanes, Vladimir Tarasenko

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In some rather jaw-dropping timing, UFA winger Vladimir Tarasenko has changed his representation just four days into this year’s free agency period. Per Sportnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the 2019 Stanley Cup champion is now represented by J.P. Barry and Pat Brisson of CAA. Because of this, any negotiations Tarasenko had with NHL teams have now been reset, confirming he has no deal in place to join any team with most of his peers already off the market.

One of the best players available (and No. 3 on our list of this year’s UFAs), Tarasenko seemed to be off the market a few days ago. The Athletic’s Shayna Goldman had reported things were close between Tarasenko and the Carolina Hurricanes, which a few other insiders later echoed – although no major developments were later confirmed.

Today, Larry Brooks of the New York Post said Tarasenko had “multiple” offers on the table from NHL teams, including Carolina, ranging between $5.5MM and $6MM per season with various lengths. Tarasenko (and his previous representation, Paul Theofanous) rejected them all, potentially misreading the market after countryman Dmitry Orlov signed a two-year deal with Carolina paying him $7.75MM per season.

However, all signs indicate Carolina is still the likely destination for Tarasenko once negotiations re-start and a deal gets hammered out. The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta speculates it’ll be a one-year deal at this stage, with Tarasenko likely looking to get more money in a less rigid cap environment a year from now, although he will be 32 years old by then.

With Carolina down to $4.5MM in cap space (per CapFriendly), plus the impending Tony DeAngelo acquisition on Saturday, Pagnotta notes defenseman Brett Pesce is still on the trade market without an extension past this season. He names the Nashville Predators as a team involved in Pesce trade talks, although the 28-year-old could block a trade if he leaves Nashville off his 15-team “yes”-trade list.

More On Alex DeBrincat, Vladimir Tarasenko

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Ottawa Senators winger Alex DeBrincat was expected to be one of the hottest commodities on the offseason trade front for the second season in a row. After heading over to the Sens by way of Chicago last season, his offensive production took a small step back in 2022-23, and he then informed Ottawa he wasn’t willing to sign a long-term extension with them – or anywhere in Canada. Yesterday, general manager Pierre Dorion admitted to Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch that he’d granted DeBrincat’s camp permission to speak to teams about an extension on “multiple occasions,” but that proposed deals had fallen through at that point.

Garrioch was able to independently confirm that today, saying that DeBrincat’s desired contract extension is what’s holding up a trade going through – not the offers Ottawa is receiving for trade returns.

DeBrincat’s agent, Jeff Jackson, has been granted permission by the Senators to engage in contract extension talks with at least three different teams, Garrioch said. He’s reportedly seeking an eight-year, $70.2MM deal, coming in just under the $70.4MM extension Timo Meier signed with the New Jersey Devils last month. That would be an $8.775MM cap hit for DeBrincat, with Garrioch saying teams are trying to get him signed to a contract closer to the $8MM mark.

Obviously, the ongoing delay in resolving DeBrincat’s contract situation is hampering other important business for the Senators. Clearing his $9MM cap hit for the upcoming season would free up significant cap space, enabling the team to sign other players ahead of a 2023-24 season where the expectation is to unequivocally turn a corner in their rebuild – including, potentially, Vladimir Tarasenko, who The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta says is nearing a decision on where to sign. Ottawa remains in the running for his services, as do the Carolina Hurricanes (who’ve already added Dmitry Orlov and Michael Bunting as UFAs).

The New York Islanders and Anaheim Ducks have shown interest in acquiring DeBrincat, Garrioch reiterates, with offers likely to include a roster player that can contribute immediately.

Carolina Hurricanes Sign Griffin Mendel

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The Carolina Hurricanes are in an interesting situation regarding their organizational depth. Their previous AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves, made the choice to operate independently for 2023-24, leaving Carolina without a dedicated farm team at the highest minor-league level.

It hasn’t stopped Carolina from retaining some talent who spent last season in Chicago on AHL deals, however. Today, they announced the signing of defenseman Griffin Mendel to a one-year, entry-level contract worth $775K at the NHL level and $75K at the AHL level. He’s also been awarded a $15K signing bonus, bringing the cap hit of his contract to $790K.

Mendel, 24, was the only skater to play in all of Chicago’s 72 games last season, an impressive feat for a rookie. In his first full professional season, the hulking Kelowna-born defender exceeded all expectations after middling offensive production in college, posting nine goals and 19 points along with a -11 rating. That’s the highest point total Mendel has posted in a single season at any level dating back to U-15 play.

The 6-foot-6, 220-pound defender is technically already a pro-league champion, appearing in one Calder Cup Playoff game for the then-champion Wolves in 2022 after signing an AHL deal at the end of the season. Before turning pro, Mendel played four college seasons with the University of Denver before transferring to Quinnipiac for a fifth and final season in 2021-22. He also attended Carolina’s training camp in 2022 on a tryout.

Although the left-shot Mendel has certainty over his financial situation next season, he doesn’t know where he’ll play yet. Carolina still doesn’t have a designated place to assign their minor-league players next season.

Mendel will be a restricted free agent next offseason, and he’ll be due a qualifying offer worth $813,750 on a two-way contract, save for the unlikely event he plays at least 60 NHL games in 2023-24.

Carolina Hurricanes Sign Michael Bunting

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Per multiple reports, including an initial report from The Fourth Period’s James Nichols, the Carolina Hurricanes are signing forward Michael Bunting to a three-year contract. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports it will carry a $4.5MM average annual value. The team later made the deal official.

Bunting will likely fill the role Carolina envisioned Max Pacioretty would occupy last season, missing out on the services of the top-flight scoring winger thanks to two Achilles injuries. Bunting is no Pacioretty, make no mistake, but he does have plenty of experience playing with elite players, stapled to Auston Matthews’ wing in Toronto for much of the past two seasons.

His scoring trailed off a bit in 2022-23, posting 49 points after tallying 63 in 2021-22, but he’s still scored 20-plus goals in back-to-back campaigns and provides a secondary scoring threat that Carolina sorely needs. He adds an element of aggressiveness on the forecheck that’s sure to support the scoring ability of Sebastian Aho, who could very well be his centerman on opening night.

Carolina now has five legitimate top-six wingers, which could mean Martin Necas slips back to a center-ice role between Andrei Svechnikov and Teuvo Teravainen and knocks Jesperi Kotkaniemi to the team’s bottom six. Teravainen could also fall down the lineup after a disappointing 2022-23 campaign.

Regardless, this is a solid acquisition for Carolina, who should expect between 60 and 80 goals from Bunting over the life of the deal.

Carolina Hurricanes Sign Dmitry Orlov

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The Carolina Hurricanes have signed arguably the top defenseman available on the free agent market, inking former Boston Bruins and Washington Capitals rearguard Dmitry Orlov to a two-year, $7.75MM AAV deal.

As a leading free agent defenseman, Orlov securing just a two-year term on his deal comes as a bit of a surprise. IF any defenseman was going to get a maximum-term seven-year deal, it would be Orlov.

But instead, he follows the lead of countryman and Los Angeles Kings defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov, who secured his own pricey two-year deal earlier this offseason.

Orlov is an all-situations minutes-eating top-four defenseman who averages over 20 minutes of ice time per night for his career, including this past season where he averaged over 22.

Not only is Orlov a capable defensive defenseman and a penalty-kill contributor, he’s also a valuable offensive defenseman as well.

After a mid-season trade to the Boston Bruins, Orlov scored 17 points in just 23 regular-season games as well as eight points in seven playoff games.

That put Orlov in his peak range which has been around 35 points, though his scorching hot run with the Bruins suggests there’s more offensive potential in Orlov’s game than he may have shown as a Capital.

Orlov will be turning 34 when this contract with the Hurricanes ends, meaning one has to wonder if he’ll truly be in line to cash in on a significant long-term deal. That being said, there are few better places for him to land than Carolina. Adding to incumbent left-handers Jaccob Slavin and Brady Skjei, Orlov gives the Hurricanes easily the NHL’s best left side of their defense.

He’ll be leaned upon heavily by head coach Rod Brind’Amour and be a major help to the Hurricanes’ hopes for a Stanley Cup championship, all without the long-term commitment that can bite teams in later years.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Carolina Hurricanes Re-Sign Frederik Andersen

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The Carolina Hurricanes are close to keeping Frederik Andersen around, with NorthStar Bets’ Chris Johnston reporting a two-year deal. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun confirms a cap hit of $3.4MM per season.

Combined with today’s signing of Antti Raanta, the Hurricanes have now retained their entire three-goalie group from last season into this year. Seeing the Vegas Golden Knights won the Stanley Cup with a stable of quality goalies the Hurricanes are looking to employ a similar strategy.

Andersen, 34 next season, has typically been Carolina’s lead netminder and has a .915 save percentage across two seasons with the Hurricanes. He came in fourth place in Vezina Trophy voting last season and shared the Jennings Trophy with Raanta, showcasing the upside he has in the right situation.

But this past year Andersen’s numbers declined, likely allowing the Hurricanes to re-sign Andersen at a pay cut from the $4.5MM he earned on his last contract.

Assuming he can have another season or two more in like with his career form, this will end up a solid investment for Carolina as they continue to work towards a goalie situation more focused on the young Kochetkov.

Carolina Hurricanes Re-Sign Antti Raanta

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Netminder Antti Raanta is sticking around with the Carolina Hurricanes. TSN’s Darren Dreger says he’s signed a one-year, $1.5MM contract minutes before he would have hit unrestricted free agency.

Raanta, 34, has spent the last two seasons as a backup goalie with the Hurricanes. He’s played 55 games in that span and posted a .911 save percentage and 2.34 goals-against-average. Performance has never been the issue for Raanta, who has an impressive .918 career save percentage. Instead, it’s been availability that’s been his major issue.

Raanta has consistently struggled with injuries throughout his NHL career, Carolina included. As a result, Carolina has more recently preferred to carry three NHL-caliber goalies in order to insulate themselves from any Raanta injuries.

At a $1.5MM price tag with no extra term attached, the Hurricanes have taken one step towards rebuilding their three-goalie tandem, and while they certainly could opt to run with just Raanta and Pyotr Kochetkov as their goalie tandem, it’s unlikely this deal locks them out of making any other goalie moves.

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