Although the Carolina Hurricanes did not qualify restricted free agent Phil Di Giuseppe earlier today, it was quickly revealed that they were still in negotiations with the young forward. Now a deal is done, as TVA’s Renaud Lavoie reports that the Hurricanes have signed Di Giuseppe to a one-year, $750K extension.
While there is no official report yet from the team indicating the nature of the contract, it is possible that this is a two-way deal for the 24-year old left winger. Di Giuseppe signed a one-year, two-way deal worth $725K at the NHL level with the Hurricanes last season, making this new deal a slight raise. However, Di Giuseppe also played in a career-high 49 games with Carolina this season and very well may have earned himself a one-way deal.
Di Giuseppe notched five goals and added eight assists this season with the ’Canes, mostly skating in limited minutes on the fourth line in an energy role. Yet, he showed a much-improved defensive game this year, as well as stronger possession game. The former University of Michigan star displayed the makings of a more complete NHL style in 2017-18 and on another affordable contract, could play a larger role in Raleigh this year and prove to be a bargain asset.