Though he played in the Charlotte Checkers most recent game, Michal Cajkovsky may be leaving the Carolina Hurricanes organization. Today Igor Eronko of Sport-Express reports that Cajkovsky is set to sign a contract with Dynamo Moscow for the remainder of the season. It’s not clear if the Hurricanes will loan him there or agree to terminate his contract, but either way it would likely mean an exit from the organization by the end of the season given that he is a pending unrestricted free agent. If they are terminating his contract, they would have to wait until tomorrow to place him on unconditional waivers given the current NHL roster freeze that will end tonight.
Cajkovsky, 26, signed a one-year contract with the Hurricanes in September after impressing on a professional tryout, but has spent the entire year in the minor leagues with the Checkers. Though the 6’4″ 239-lbs defenseman offers size and physicality, he’s stuck in an organization that has incredible depth at the NHL level and rarely presents an opportunity to get any real ice time at that level. In 26 games with the Checkers he has registered four points.
It wasn’t the first North American attempt for the big Slovakian defender, as Cajkovsky actually played three years in the OHL and then spent two seasons in the minor leagues split between the ECHL and AHL. He competed last year in the Olympics for Slovakia, and suited up for his second consecutive World Championship. If he does return to the KHL, he’ll be going back to a league where he found quite a bit of success, registering 36 points over 67 games.