- The Hurricanes have added some AHL depth as their AHL affiliate in Chicago announced the signing of defenseman Brandon Hickey to a minor league deal. The 24-year-old spent the past two years in Buffalo’s system following his acquisition from Arizona but was non-tendered by the Sabres last month after playing in just 23 games last season.
Hurricanes Rumors
Hurricanes Re-Sign Warren Foegele
The Hurricanes have taken care of their last arbitration-bound restricted free agent, announcing the re-signing of winger Warren Foegele to a one-year contract, avoiding a hearing that was scheduled for Wednesday. The deal is worth $2.15MM which will also represent his qualifying offer next offseason where he’ll once again be an RFA with arbitration rights.
The 24-year-old had career highs across the board last season, notching 13 goals and 17 assists in 68 regular season games while logging 13:43 per contest. While he wasn’t the most productive in the playoffs, his lone point (a goal) was the series-clincher in the Qualifying Round against the Rangers.
This contract represents quite the raise from his entry-level deal which carried an AAV of just $800K but it also highlights how he went from a little-known energy player to someone that is a key part of their bottom six up front. He’s likely to remain in that role for next season as Carolina has had very limited turnover among their forwards; Justin Williams retired earlier this offseason with Jesper Fast inking a three-year deal to take his place on the roster.
With the signing, the Hurricanes now have a little under $1MM in cap space, per CapFriendly so their spending for next season is likely done. However, GM Don Waddell has a pair of key players in defenseman Dougie Hamilton and winger Andrei Svechnikov entering the final year of their respective deals so now with all of their NHL restricted free agents taken care of (Roland McKeown and Oliwer Kaski are also RFAs with Kaski already playing in the KHL), expect Carolina to shift their focus towards trying to get those two players locked up.
Minor Transactions: 10/28/20
The AHL may have delayed the start of their season for several months, but that won’t stop teams from continuing to fill out their rosters, especially with the ECHL still hoping to begin in December. Meanwhile, hockey is in full swing in Europe and clubs continue to make moves, whether that be loan agreements with NHL teams, free agent signings, or trades. Keep up with all of these minor transactions from today:
- The AHL’s Chicago Wolves, now an affiliate of the Hurricanes, have added a pair of veteran minor leaguers to their roster, both of whom played for Carolina’s previous affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers last season. The team has announced that defenseman Cavan Fitzgerald and forward Colin Markison have each signed a one-year contract. Fitzgerald, 24, was a member of the San Jose Sharks prior to joining Charlotte last season, but played exclusively in the AHL on his entry-level contract. A productive two-way defenseman, Fitzgerald is a quality addition to the Chicago blue line. Markison, 28, has four NCAA seasons with the University of Vermont and five AHL seasons with Bridgeport, Texas, and Charlotte on his resume. An undersized scorer, Markinson’s production has fluctuated over the years and may depend on his role and the system in Chicago.
- The Boston Bruins had already loaned Joona Koppanen overseas to KOOVEE of the Finnish minor league Metsis, but he is now on the move to the top level. Liiga club Ilves has announced that Koppanen has now joined them on loan, a reunion with a player who grew up in the system and played for the main club in 2017-18. Koppanen, 22, is a big power forward who recorded 18 points in 43 games with the AHL’s Providence Bruins last season and already had a whopping 17 points in ten games with KOOVEE this year. Koppanen appears to be a prospect on the rise, but is buried behind a team NHL and AHL roster for the Bruins. Ilves’ stated that Koppanen’s loan is until “further notice”, which could mean the 6’5″ center might stay in Finland beyond NHL training camp.
- While the deal has yet to be finalized, former NHLer Viktor Tikhonov is on the move in the KHL. The two sides are still working out the details, but Tikhonov has been traded from Ak Bars Kazan to Spartak Moscow, according to Sport.ru. Spartak had previously pursued Tikhonov as a free agent this summer, but he opted to re-sign with Ak Bars. Tikhonov was traded to Kazan last season from SKA St. Petersburgh, where he had played for seven of the past eight seasons. The one break was in 2015-16, which he split between the Arizona Coyotes and Chicago Blackhawks. Tikhonov is no longer an elite scorer in the KHL, but his experience and two-way acumen still make him a valuable asset.
Carolina Hurricanes Re-Sign Max McCormick
The Carolina Hurricanes are welcoming back a valued depth forward. The team has announced a new one-year, two-way contract with veteran Max McCormick. The extension carries a $700K NHL salary and $125K AHL salary. McCormick will be an unrestricted free agent once again at the conclusion of the 2020-21 season.
McCormick, 28, initially arrived in Carolina as a free agent last summer. He did not see any NHL action this season for the first time since 2014-15, but still managed to prove his worth to the club. McCormick recorded 35 points in 56 points, placing him among the top five scoring forwards for the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers. With fellow top scorers Janne Kuokkanen and Julien Gauthier now gone and the Hurricanes’ affiliate relocating to Chicago, McCormick’s return provides some consistency and leadership to a team undergoing major changes.
McCormick has the ability to contribute at the NHL level as well. As a member of the Ottawa Senators, he played in 71 games over four years and chipped in ten points and 136 hits as an impact fourth liner. McCormick plays a heavier game than his stature may indicate and can hold his own on a checking line. The Hurricanes have not used a typical checking line in recent years, but should they opt to insert some grit and energy into the bottom-six, McCormick is a great option.
Hurricanes Re-Sign Haydn Fleury
Scratch another player off the arbitration list. The Hurricanes announced that they have re-signed defenseman Haydn Fleury to a two-year deal with a $1.3MM AAV. The two sides were scheduled for a hearing on November 8th. GM Don Waddell released the following statement:
Haydn made a huge leap in his development last season and established himself as an everyday NHL defenseman. He was very dependable late in the regular season and in the playoffs, and we look forward to him continuing his development into an elite NHL defenseman.
The 24-year-old was up with Carolina all season, the first full NHL campaign of his career. However, given the depth that the Hurricanes have, Fleury was limited to 45 regular season games in almost exclusively a number six role. He had four goals and ten assists, numbers that were decent considering he averaged less than 14 minutes per game. However, Fleury was tasked with a bit more ice time in the playoffs, logging over 16 minutes a night while chipping in with a pair of goals in eight games.
That was enough to earn Fleury a small raise in his second trip through restricted free agency after he made $850K this season. Notably, this contract will give him a third and final RFA stint in 2022 as he’ll still be a year shy of being able to hit the open market and he will be arbitration-eligible once again.
Even though Carolina has lost Joel Edmundson (trade with Montreal), Trevor van Riemsdyk (free agency, Washington), and Sami Vatanen (unrestricted free agent), Fleury will still have some work cut out for him to earn a regular spot in the lineup. As things stand, he’s likely to battle with offseason acquisition Joakim Ryan and prospect Jake Bean for the sixth spot on their depth chart. Even with the raise, it’s a reasonable price tag for a player that still has some upside but may still have to spend some time in the press box.
Waddell still has some work to do in the short term though as Warren Foegele is still in need of a contract with an arbitration hearing scheduled for November 4th. Following this signing, Carolina has about $3MM in cap space to work with and a good chunk of that will be going to the winger.
Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic was the first to report the deal.
Carolina Hurricanes Re-Sign Gustav Forsling
The Carolina Hurricanes have avoided arbitration with defenseman Gustav Forsling. PuckPedia and CapFriendly are both reporting that the two sides have come to terms on a one-year, two-way contract. The deal carries the minimum $700K NHL salary and a $250K AHL salary. Forsling had been scheduled for a salary arbitration hearing on November 7th.
If Forsling’s case had reached a hearing, it would have been a fascinating argument – at least from the player side. The most critical part of any arbitration case is the platform season, and Forsling did not play a single game in 2019-20. The 24-year-old defenseman was fully healthy, but simply not good enough to crack the Hurricanes’ lineup. He saw NHL action with the Chicago Blackhawks in each of the three years prior to being traded last summer, but has never played more than 43 games in any season. It would have had to have been quite the argument to convince an arbitrator that Forsling was worth more than a minimum salary. Instead, Forsling’s camp likely filed for arbitration with the primary intention of arguing that he was at least worth a one-way contract. Even that case might have been a stretch, so he has agreed to a two-way deal with a sizeable AHL salary.
Forsling’s odds of improving his case before next off-season, when he will again be an RFA with arbitration rights, seem slim. The Hurricanes currently have five established veteran defenseman on the NHL roster, other RFA’s still to sign in Haydn Fleury and Roland McKeown, a prospect pushing for time in Jake Bean, and just added a superior depth option in Joakim Ryan. Forsling would need several things to go his way to see NHL action this coming season.
Forsling’s arbitration case was the least of the Hurricanes’ worries. The team still has Fleury and forward Warren Foegele slated for hearings and there is much more on the line with that pair. CapFriendly projects Carolina to have just under $4.5MM in cap space with a current roster of 20, so the ’Canes may need to get creative (or make a move) to add Fleury, Foegele, and one more body to the roster without going over the cap. If the teams deals from their depth on the blue line, they may be able to move considerable salary. Forsling would stand to benefit from such a move as well.
Antoine Bibeau Signs With Carolina Hurricanes
The Carolina Hurricanes have added depth to the organization’s goaltending position, signing Antoine Bibeau to a one-year, two-way contract worth $700K at the NHL level. Bibeau was injured for almost all of last season, but GM Don Waddell explained today that he is fully healthy and ready to help the Hurricanes in 2020-21.
Now 26, Bibeau was originally a selection of the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2013 and actually made his NHL debut for that organization during the 2016-17 season. A stop in San Jose resulted only in time in the minor leagues before Bibeau joined Colorado for the 2019-20 season.
He actually played in two NHL games before his hip injury put him out of commission, taking his total to four in his career. It’s unclear exactly where he fits into the depth chart, but given that the 2020-21 season could be condensed quite significantly and have regional bubbles, travelling with a third goaltender may become the norm.
Carolina Hurricanes Sign Drew Shore
The Carolina Hurricanes have reached into the European ranks to add an NHL retread to the organization. Forward Drew Shore, who last played in North America in 2017, has agreed to a one-year deal with the Hurricanes, the team announced. It is a one-year, two-way contract worth the minimum $700K in the NHL and $150K in the AHL.
Shore, 29, has had an interesting career. A big, versatile forward, Shore was a second-round pick of the Florida Panthers in 2009 and left the University of Denver early after dominating collegiate competition. As a rookie, he even garnered Calder Trophy votes with 13 points in 43 games with the Panthers. No one would have expected that this mark would stand as his career best. Shore struggled in his limited action with Florida in his second season and was held out of the lineup entirely in his third year until he was traded to the Calgary Flames midway through the campaign. He struggled to find his footing in Calgary as well and was out of the NHL after just a season and a half with the club. Shore made his way to Switzerland to begin the 2016-17 season, but would return to the NHL midseason to sign with the Vancouver Canucks. Again, Shore failed to make the most of the opportunity and was not re-signed. He returned to the Swiss NLA for two seasons, then jumped to the KHL, where he has spent parts of the past two seasons.
Shore has always been a productive player in the minor leagues or abroad, but has never been able to translate that ability to the NHL. Nearing 30 now and three years removed from action at the highest level, Shore does seem like an odd choice to land an NHL contract, especially with so much talent still available. Yet, the Hurricanes must see something they like in the experienced journeyman.
Another strange note on the Shore signing is that a more accomplished Shore, Devin Shore, remains unsigned. This confused even the always-reliable CapFriendly in announcing the deal. Devin, 26, had a down year and was not extended a qualifying offer by the Columbus Blue Jackets, but was a consistent 30+ point player in his first three pro seasons. With the market drying up against the flat salary cap, it’s a real possibility that the superior Shore may not find NHL employment this season, while the older and less proven one plays in Carolina.
Carolina Hurricanes Sign Three Forwards
The Carolina Hurricanes have added a little more depth to the organization, signing three minor league forwards to one-year, two-way contracts. Jeremy Bracco, David Gust and Sheldon Rempal will join the organization on contracts worth $700K at the NHL level.
Rempal, 25, is the only one of the three that has NHL experience at this point, with seven games played for the Los Angeles Kings in 2018-19. He was not issued a qualifying offer by the team this offseason, after scoring just four goals in 56 games for the Ontario Reign in 2019-20. An undrafted signing out of Clarkson, Rempal did have a strong offensive season in 2018-19 and could be a solid piece in the AHL.
Gust meanwhile was signed by the Bakersfield Condors in 2017 out of Ohio State University, but ended up playing in Carolina’s minor league system this past season. The 26-year-old scored 31 points in those 60 games with the Charlotte Checkers but shouldn’t be expected to play much of an NHL role at any point.
It’s Bracco that will draw the headlines. Still just 23, he was a second-round pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2015 and had an incredible first few post-draft seasons. In 2016-17 he not only won World Junior gold with Team USA, but also took home the Memorial Cup with the Windsor Spitfires. That Windsor team shocked a powerhouse Erie Otters squad that had the likes of Dylan Strome, Alex DeBrincat, Anthony Cirelli, and coincidentally, Bracco’s new potential teammate Warren Foegele.
Bracco, among the elite powerplay passers in all of professional hockey, unfortunately hasn’t developed the rest of his game enough to earn a chance in the NHL. In 2018-19 he racked up 79 points in 75 games with the Toronto Marlies but dealt with personal issues and clashed with the organization in 2019-20. He ended up playing in 44 games and scored just four goals (still tallying 34 points).
Needing a fresh start, he’ll go to Carolina now where he could still potentially blossom into a legitimate NHL option, at least in sheltered minutes. On a league-minimum deal, it’s certainly worth the risk.
Dominik Bokk Linked To The SHL
A month ago, Hurricanes prospect Dominik Bokk was slated to play with Krefeld in Germany. However, with the start of their season delayed once again, the team announced yesterday that he would be moving on with the hopes of finding somewhere he can play. It appears that location will be Sweden as SportExpressen’s Johan Svensson reports that the winger is on his way to Djurgarden of the SHL.
This will be Bokk’s third straight year in the SHL but it will be his third different team after playing with Vaxjo in 2018-19 and Rogle last season. He has put up 40 points in 94 games with those two teams, numbers that are quite impressive for someone that was still eligible to play junior hockey. Playing against his peers at the World Juniors with Germany, he led them in scoring with six goals and two assists in seven games while helping them avoid relegation.
It’s unknown how long this loan will be for. While the original plan was to have the 20-year-old return from Krefeld when training camps opened up, Svensson notes that Djurgarden is seeking players to play the full season, not just a couple of months. As a result, it’s possible that Carolina may have to wait a little longer for Bokk, the centerpiece of the Justin Faulk trade last year, suit up in their system.