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Carolina Hurricanes Sign Stefan Noesen

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The Carolina Hurricanes continue to add to their depth, this time agreeing to terms with free agent forward Stefan Noesen. The one-year, two-way deal will pay Noesen $750K at the NHL level, $250K at the AHL level and comes with a $300K minor league guarantee.

Noesen, 28, split last season between the San Jose Sharks and Toronto Maple Leafs, spending more time in the AHL for both organizations. He suited up just once for Toronto and five times for San Jose this year, the fewest NHL games he has played since 2015-16. At that point he was a struggling first-round talent that couldn’t seem to break through, now he’s a veteran depth player that rarely receives a full-time role.

In his 205-game career, Noesen has scored 31 goals and 54 points. None of those came in his six 2020-21 NHL contests, and it’s been several years since he recorded his career-high of 13 goals and 27 points. In Carolina, he’ll likely be used as minor league depth or injury replacement should the NHL roster go through some difficult times. The Hurricanes have added plenty of depth this summer as they hope to go on another long playoff run in 2022.

Carolina Hurricanes Sign Veteran Derek Stepan

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The Carolina Hurricanes announced today they’ve signed Derek Stepan to a one-year contract. It’ll pay him $1.35MM and give Stepan at least one more try at a championship in the NHL.

Stepan, a veteran of 11 seasons and 759 NHL games, will now head to his fourth team in the NHL. After previous stints with the New York Rangers, Arizona Coyotes, and Ottawa Senators, the veteran center attempts to win his first Stanley Cup Championship at age 31 this season. He’s struggled with injuries and declining play in recent seasons, scoring just six points in 20 games in his only season with Ottawa last year. It also marked the lowest ice-time average of his career at 15:04 per night.

Even with a refreshed roster, Stepan likely won’t see any more usage than that with Carolina, who looks to take the next step towards becoming a contender next season. It’ll be a harder sell without defenseman Dougie Hamilton in the fold, but they’re a still a deep team that should be competitive all year long. Stepan likely slots in immediately as the team’s fourth-line center, serving behind Sebastian Aho, Vincent Trocheck, and Jordan Staal. If he can’t rebound offensively this season, or if he faces additional injury issues, it could be his last in the NHL.

Carolina Hurricanes Sign Max Letunov, Alex Lyon

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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.

Carolina Hurricanes Sign Jalen Chatfield, Sam Miletic

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Though it was reported on the first day of free agency, the Carolina Hurricanes have only just now officially announced a contract for Jalen Chatfield. The free agent defenseman has agreed to terms on a one-year, two-way deal that will pay him $750K at the NHL level. Chatfield was a Group VI unrestricted free agent after spending the first few years of his career with the Vancouver Canucks organization.

The Hurricanes have also signed Sam Miletic to a one-year, two-way contract that carries an NHL salary of $750K. Miletic did not receive a qualifying offer from the Pittsburgh Penguins, making him an unrestricted free agent. Hurricanes GM Don Waddell released statements on both players:

Jalen is a reliable defenseman who can kill penalties. He’s coming off his first NHL season and we’re thrilled to add him to our organization.

Sam is a playmaking forward who has been an All-Star in the AHL. We’re excited for him to take the next steps in his development.

It’s been a long grind for Chatfield, 25, who went undrafted out of the OHL but signed with the Canucks in 2017. He spent three full seasons in the minor leagues, skating for the Utica Comets of the AHL, before receiving his first NHL opportunity this year. With the taxi squad in place, Chatfield didn’t have to go to the minor leagues anymore, but he still wasn’t receiving regular playing time with the Canucks. In 18 games, he recorded one point.

Miletic meanwhile is in a very similar situation, though he hasn’t received any NHL chances. The 24-year-old forward was signed as an undrafted free agent out of the OHL and has played three seasons with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. After registering just five points in 21 games this year, the Penguins cut him loose.

For both players, it seems more likely that they’ll be in the AHL than the NHL this season, but these contracts do still leave the possibility of a call-up open. To play with the Chicago Wolves of the AHL, they’ll both need to clear waivers.

Carolina Hurricanes Sign Brendan Smith

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The blue line remodel in Carolina continues. The latest addition is veteran Brendan Smith, who the team announced has signed a one-year, $800K contract. The Hurricanes are very familiar with Smith, who has played for the Metropolitan Division rival New York Rangers for the past four plus years and in the Eastern Conference his whole career.

Smith is a solid addition for the Hurricanes as an experienced physical presence. The 32-year-old has had some ups and downs in his career, but has remained a consistent checking threat throughout. A hard-nosed defender who works hard in puck battles and takes charge in front of the net, Smith is the type of character defender who plays a physical game but does it the right way. He can also chip in on offense from time to time and has even been known to ply his trade as a checking forward.

Perhaps the Hurricanes are considering a hybrid role for Smith, as their blue line is looking awfully crowded. Even with the departures of Dougie Hamilton and Jake Bean, the Hurricanes are already back to having one of the deepest defense corps in the league. Mainstays Jaccob Slavin, Brett Pesce, Brady Skjei, and Jake Gardiner have now been joined by veteran signings Smith and Ian Cole, reclamation project Anthony DeAngelo, and trade acquisition Ethan Bear for eight legitimate NHL defenseman, not including rumored signing Jalen Chatfield and unsigned RFA Maxime Lajoie. That’s quite the logjam on defense for Carolina, which could lead to some difficult waivers decisions down the road.

Carolina Hurricanes Sign Tony DeAngelo

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July 28: The contract has been officially announced by the Hurricanes. One year and $1MM for DeAngelo, who is still earning some of his salary from the Rangers as well. GM Don Waddell released a short statement about his newest defenseman:

Tony is a smooth-skating, puck-moving defenseman. We’ve done a lot of background work on this player and we are confident that he can be a positive addition to our group.

July 27: The Carolina Hurricanes are closing in on a one-year deal with recently bought-out defenseman Tony DeAngelo, according to Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff. Seravalli notes that there was a lot of interest in DeAngelo, but that the opportunity to play for head coach Rod Brind’Amour was appealing to him. The deal is not yet signed and no financial details have been reported at this time.

It will create a public relations mess in Carolina to bring in DeAngelo, who was sent away from the Rangers organization this season after several incidents involving teammates. The last one was between DeAngelo and goaltender Alexandar Georgiev, which led to the defensemen being placed on waivers. At the time, GM Jeff Gorton explained that it wasn’t just one incident that led to the decision, instead telling reporters that he had warned the defenseman “if his name came up in anything at all” he would find himself on waivers. DeAngelo cleared and would not play for the Rangers again.

While a trade was explored, DeAngelo declined a contract termination that would have allowed him to sign elsewhere last season, instead forcing the Rangers into a buyout this summer. He will earn one-third of the $5.3MM that was remaining on his contract with the Rangers after clearing unconditional waivers a few days ago, but should this deal go through, will now be able to collect a paycheck from the Hurricanes as well.

There isn’t anyone that doubts DeAngelo’s offensive ability, as the 25-year-old defenseman recorded 15 goals and 53 points in the 2019-20 season. He earned Norris Trophy votes that season after playing so well, which has always been the trade-off when it comes to him. Even going back to his junior career, DeAngelo has been embroiled in controversy with his teammates. Whether he can make that side of the game work in Carolina remains to be seen, but it appears as though the organization will try.

Carolina Hurricanes Sign Josh Leivo

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The Carolina Hurricanes have signed forward Josh Leivo, the Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch reports. It is a minimum $750K on a one-year deal, adds TSN’s Pierre LeBrun.

Leivo, 28, will be on his third new team in less than four years, jumping from Toronto to Vancouver to Calgary and now to Carolina. The winger has managed to play exclusively in the NHL, but not as a full-time player. The same fate likely awaits him in Raleigh, where a deep Hurricanes lineup could make him an extra man, especially since Leivo’s game does not lend itself to a checking line role.

With that said, Leivo showed two years ago that he can still have a sizeable impact in limited time. In 36 games with the Canucks in 2019-20, he recorded seven goals and 19 points –  a full-season pace of 43 points. While he was unable to replicate those results in 38 games with the Flames this season, the team also did not give him much top-nine opportunity. Should the Hurricanes afford Leivo the chance to play with other skilled forwards, they could be happy with the results, especially at a minimum salary cost.

Carolina Hurricanes Sign Frederik Andersen

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The Carolina Hurricanes entered the off-season with three free agent goaltenders: UFA’s Petr Mrazek and James Reimer and RFA Alex Nedeljkovic. They dealt Nedeljkovic to the Detroit Red Wings in a deal that landed them another free agent, UFA Jonathan Bernier. As of right now, it does not appear that any of these netminders will be with the team this season. Instead, the team has reportedly agreed to a two-year deal with former Toronto Maple Leafs starter Frederik Andersen. The Hurricanes seemingly believe in a bounce-back from Andersen, whose new contract will carry a $4.5MM AAV.

Prior to last season, no one would have batted an eye at the terms of Andersen’s new deal, though they likely would have expected it to come with the Maple Leafs. However, Andersen imploded in 2020-21, struggling to stay on the ice with a nagging injury and performing poorly when he did play. Andersen’s .895 save percentage was well below his own career average and below average league-wide as well. Andersen lost his job to Jack Campbell and all signs pointed to Toronto moving on. They did just that, ironically signing former Carolina starter Petr Mrazek. 

It would be one thing for Carolina to replace Mrazek with Andersen if savings were involved or even at the same price. However, they ended up paying $700K more in AAV for Andersen, despite Mrazek being younger and having far better numbers over the past few years. Granted, Mrazek also missed considerable time this year due to injury and has not played more than 40 games in a season in the past four years. Carolina is looking for a legitimate starter and clearly feel that Andersen can be that. The 31-year-old has played 60+ games three times, all in the past five years, and the ’Canes hope he can do it once again. They payed up for that potential; hopefully Andersen can follow through.

Jordan Martinook Re-Signs With The Carolina Hurricanes

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Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman is reporting that versatile forward Jordan Martinook will be staying in Carolina. The deal is reported to be three years at $1.8MM. Per PuckPedia, the deal’s structure is as follows:

2021-22: $900,000
2022-23: $1,800,000
2023-24: $2,700,000

The move comes as somewhat of a surprise after it was believed that the Hurricanes and Martinook would be parting ways. However, with the departure of Warren Foegele, it seems that Carolina has reversed course. Martinook is a considered a glue guy in the locker room and with plenty of turnover already in Raleigh this off-season, it will benefit team morale to keep him around, especially on a mult-year deal.

On the ice, Martinook is likely to make that $1.8MM AAV look like a value as well. The two-way forward recorded 25 points in his first (and only) full season with Carolina and in the past two shortened seasons has scored at a similar rate. Add in his work ethic and defensive ability and you have a reliable bottom-six player making a relatively small amount. As the ’Canes continue to push for a Cup, they will likely be happy that they kept Martinook in the fold.

Hurricanes Expected To Sign Antti Raanta

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It appears it will be a new goaltending tandem in Carolina this season.  Already linked to Frederik Andersen, the Hurricanes are also set to sign veteran Antti Raanta, ESPN’s Kevin Weekes reports (Twitter link).  Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reports (via Twitter) that the two-year contract will be worth $2MM per season.

Raanta has spent the past four seasons with Arizona in somewhat of a roller coaster ride.  At times, he has played well enough to be a legitimate starting goalie while at others, he has struggled considerably.  In between, he has had frequent stints on injured reserve, including last season, where he was only able to play in a dozen games where he posted a 3.36 GAA with a .905 SV%, numbers that were much worse than his career averages.

Still, Raanta’s track record is strong enough to make him a viable buy-low candidate for Carolina.  His career .919 SV% is well above-average and if he can come somewhat close to that, he will provide solid value for the Hurricanes.  However, with both Raanta and Andersen having some injury trouble last year, it’s also a risk for GM Don Waddell; accordingly, he would be wise to look for a veteran third-stringer with all of their AHL goaltenders being 23 or younger with no NHL experience.

Meanwhile, Arizona may need to add a goalie of their own.  Adin Hill was moved to San Jose to avoid losing him in expansion so there is no proven option behind starter Darcy Kuemper.  Ivan Prosvetov and Josef Korenar are among the internal options they have but a more proven backup would give them some insurance, especially with Kuemper being limited to just 27 games last season and the fact he’s about to enter the final year of his contract.

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