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.