We are officially in July and the first day of free agency did not disappoint in the NHL. As the dust settled, 183 players were signed with a combined 389 contract years. Furthermore, the total cap hit reached $358.196 million, with total contract dollars hitting $1.205 billion. It’s safe to say the teams spent money and the players were getting paid handsomely. Regarding the Carolina Hurricanes, they had a busy July 1 with a slew of departures and new arrivals for the upcoming 2024-25 season. From fan favorites leaving, some staying for multiple seasons, to fresh new faces, this will be a different Hurricanes team compared to the 2023-24 group. Buckle in Caniacs, let’s see what Day 1 of free agency brought for the team from Raleighwood.
New Guys on the Block
After the dust settled, the Hurricanes acquired five new players who will join head coach Rod Brind’Amour’s team before opening night this fall. The new faces on the Hurricanes are:
As the team saw five players from the 2023-24 roster depart, or be traded to other cities, the Hurricanes did not make any knee-jerk reactions. General manager Eric Tulsky has been with the team for 10 years and has seen that a slow and methodical pace works. The Hurricanes are known as a team that plays a high-tempo system with strong forechecking and a 200-foot game from their forwards and defense. It is clear that Tulsky and the front office were looking to add players who fit the system and they did that with their five acquisitions.
Eric Robinson & Tyson Jost
The early announcements of Jost and Robinson will give the Hurricanes some depth options going into the 2024-25 season. When asked about both players, Tulsky stated:
Robinson: “Eric is an experienced forward who will add speed and physicality to our lineup. He has also shown that he can contribute offensively, and we are glad to have him in Carolina.”
Jost: “Tyson is a reliable forward who can play a variety of roles. His versatility will help bolster our depth heading into next season.”
For Robinson, the 29-year-old Bellmawr, New Jersey native tallied two goals and nine points in 40 games with the Buffalo Sabres and one goal in seven games for the Columbus Blue Jackets. His best season came back in 2021-22 where he had 10 goals and 27 points in 67 games for the Blue Jackets. There is a good chance he will be the 13th forward or be utilized in some fashion for the Hurricanes.
Regarding Jost, the former 10th overall pick from the 2016 NHL Draft has a chance to prove himself as a 26-year-old center. The St. Albert, Alberta native tallied three goals and six points in 43 games for the Sabres. Furthermore, he accumulated four goals and 14 points in 25 American Hockey League (AHL) games for the Rochester Americans, the Sabres affiliate. He is a versatile center who can be used in all situations. Jost is another player who can fit within Brind’Amour’s system and hopes to showcase his skills on a prove-it deal.
Sean Walker
The first big splash for the Hurricanes came on the blue line when they acquired Sean Walker to fill the gap of Brett Pesce. The 29-year-old Keswick, Ontario native tallied 10 goals and 29 points with a plus-11 rating in 81 games with the Philadelphia Flyers and Colorado Avalanche during the 2023-24 season. Walker is a really solid right-shot defenseman who can play both sides of the ice and anywhere in the top six if needed. Furthermore, he is someone the Hurricanes can rely on when it comes to special teams, mainly the penalty kill. He has established himself as a defenseman who can play a shutdown game in the defensive zone while being able to keep plays going when on the offensive side of the ice.
When asked about Walker, Tulsky stated, “Sean is a dependable right-shot defenseman who has played all situations at a high level during his career. He is extremely strong at both ends of the ice, and his offensive abilities are a great fit for our style of play.”
Walker was a huge pickup for the Hurricanes around the middle of the afternoon on the first day of free agency.
Shayne Gostisbehere
A not-so-newer face is making his way back to Raleighwood. The Hurricanes after acquiring Walker snagged another productive blueliner in Shayne Gostisbehere. “Ghost” will rejoin the team for the second time after he was picked up at the trade deadline during the 2023-23 season where he had 10 points in 23 games and was the powerplay specialist for Brind’Amour. During the 2023-24 season with the Detroit Red Wings, the 31-year-old Margate, Florida native tallied 10 goals and 56 points in 81 games. That was his most productive season since he had 65 points back in 2017-18 with the Flyers.
Gostisbehere will be the Brady Skjei replacement where he will be the offensive threat and see a plethora of powerplay time. Thankfully for the Hurricanes, he can have a full season of acclimating to the system instead of only 23 regular season games and 15 postseason games the last time he was in Carolina. The three-year deal will give the team some relief in knowing that four of their blueliners (Jaccob Slavin, Jalen Chatfield, Walker, and Gostisbehere) will be together for the next three seasons at the minimum. That will give them flexibility over the next few trade deadlines and offseasons to make moves here and there while having those four as the defensive nucleus.
William Carrier
What could be the most interesting signing to come through for Tulsky and the Hurricanes was the addition of forward William Carrier. The 29-year-old Pierrefonds, Quebec native will be in Raleigh for the next six seasons through 2029-30. It was a deal for the former 57th overall selection from the 2013 NHL Draft that surprised a lot of people. It is safe to say that not many saw this coming. However, to get a Stefan Noesen replacement in a former Stanley Cup champion in Carrier is a solid move. In 39 games for the Vegas Golden Knights during the 2023-24 season, he tallied six goals and eight points along with one goal in seven postseason games.
Carrier will more than likely fill a bottom-six role for the Hurricanes. What drew him to the Hurricanes and what could have contributed to the six-year deal is that he has been the NHL’s top analytical fourth-liner for years. He’s got strong play-driving numbers at both ends of the ice. Plus, he manages to get good scoring rates and scoring chance creation that could carry over to the Hurricanes. Carrier seems to fit the system that analytically Tulsky loves, and can fit the system that Brind’Amour runs. It’ll be interesting where he fits on special teams, probably the penalty kill, but will it be PK1 or PK2? It was an interesting signing for the Hurricanes with that long of term, but an AAV at $2 million that no one can scoff at.
Jaccob Slavin is a Hurricane for Life
What really got the day going for the Hurricanes was the long-awaited extension of franchise cornerstone Jaccob Slavin. The two-time Lady Byng winner signed an eight-year, $51.69 million ($6.461 million AAV) contract that will keep him in Raleigh through the 2032-33 season. It’s a no-brainer to keep Slavin in Carolina for his whole career after getting drafted by the Hurricanes 120th overall in the 2012 NHL Draft. To be able to ink the best defensive defenseman in the NHL at under $7 million is an absolute steal. Slavin to his credit made sure that he finished his career with the team he’s been with since day one while giving the team the flexibility to build around him, Sebastian Aho, Andrei Svechnikov, and Seth Jarvis.
When asked about the Slavin extension, Tulsky stated, “Jaccob might be the best defender in the NHL, and he has already cemented himself as one of the best players to ever put on a Hurricanes uniform. He is a crucial leader for our team, both on and off the ice, and keeping him in Carolina long term was a top priority.”
There is no doubt that Slavin’s No. 74 will be in the rafters of PNC Arena when it’s all said and done. The 30-year-old Erie, CO native tallied six goals and 37 points in 81 games during the 2023-24 season. He led all Hurricanes defensemen with a career-high 34 even-strength points and tied for the team lead in shorthanded goals (two) with Jarvis. Slavin has cemented himself on the penalty kill and is someone who Brind’Amour uses to shut down the best forwards in the NHL night in and night out. For a guy who only had two penalty minutes in a season proves how good he is. The eight-year extension will kick in after the 2024-25 season which gives fans nine more years of Slavin in a Hurricanes sweater.
The Marty Party Continues
The Marty Party is not going anywhere anytime soon as Jordan Martinook will be staying in Raleigh for the next three seasons. Regarding Martinook, there had to be a way to keep the glue of the team around as an alternate captain and a leader of this team. The 31-year-old Brandon, Manitoba native tallied 14 goals and 32 points in all 82 games for the Hurricanes in 2023-24. Also, he went on to add two goals and four points in 11 postseason games. Bringing him back for a tad over $3 million per season was a great deal for both sides. The Hurricanes kept a veteran of the team in a leadership role and Martinook stays in a place that he’s called home since the 2018-19 season.
When asked about Marty, Tulsky went on to say, “Jordan is the heart and soul of our team, and he has played a pivotal role in changing the culture here over his six years as a Hurricane. He is such a reliable presence for us both on and off the ice, and we are thrilled to keep him in Raleigh for years to come.”
It made all the sense in the world to keep Martinook for three more seasons to transition in the new guys along with being an alternate captain to help the leadership group. Furthermore, it gives a good chance that the normal line of Martinook, Jordan Staal, and Jesper Fast will be reunited again for the 2024-25 season. It’ll be fun to watch No. 48 back on the ice once again for the Hurricanes.
Off to New Beginnings
While there was a lot of good news, unfortunately, there was some bad as well with five players making their leave from the Hurricanes. The players who went on to other teams during the first day of free agency were:
When free agency started, it did not take long for the four guys outside of Guentzel to move on right away. Teravainen will be going back to the Blackhawks where he won a Stanley Cup back in 2015. Pesce and Noesen will be joining former Hurricanes players Eric Haula and Dougie Hamilton with the Metro Division foes in the Devils. Noesen played with the Devils earlier in his career (2016-17 through 2018-19) so it’ll be familiar ground once again.
Skjei will be going to the Western Conference and the Nashville Predators for seven years at $7 million AAV. It was not clear if the Hurricanes could have gone there but there is no blame on Skjei for wanting to get what he thought was best for him. In the end, losing those four players who were with the Hurricanes for some years will sting the fans who were their favorite players. Either way, it is a business and the players wanted to play where they wanted for different reasons. Regarding the Hurricanes, they had to find the guys that would fit the system and replace the guys that were leaving.
Final Thoughts
Day 1 of the free agency period was a wild one, to say the least. While the Hurricanes did lose some core pieces to other teams, they were able to bring in their replacements for better deals to give the team more flexibility with other potential free-agent pickups while going after the restricted free agents (RFA) who need new contracts as well. It might not be as crazy as Day 1, but free agency continues as Tulsky and the front office have until next season to see what the 2024-25 Hurricanes will look like. This offseason will be something to keep an eye on because it’s already chaotic. Plus, who knows what will come next as we get deeper into the offseason.
