Hurricanes goaltender Antti Raanta acknowledged to Ryan Henkel of The Hockey News that he left both term and money on the table when he decided to re-sign with Carolina on the opening day of free agency back in July. The 34-year-old put up back-to-back strong seasons with the Hurricanes and posted a 2.23 GAA along with a .910 SV% in 27 games last year, numbers that seemingly had him positioned for a raise on the $2MM AAV of his previous deal but instead, he accepted a one-year, $1.5MM agreement. Frederik Andersen also re-signed on July 1st and with Carolina also not having an AHL affiliate this season, Pyotr Kochetkov could also be in the mix as well which means one of the stronger goalie trios remains intact for the upcoming season.
Hurricanes Rumors
Vasili Ponomarev Suffers Undisclosed Injury
- Hurricanes prospect Vasili Ponomarev will be out for a little while, notes Cory Lavalette of the North State Journal (Twitter link). The 21-year-old is coming off a strong first season in North America as he picked up 24 goals and 22 assists in 64 games last season with AHL Chicago. The injury isn’t believed to be overly serious but as someone who might have had a shot at pushing for a spot with Carolina in training camp, missing any time will make that objective harder to accomplish.
Teravainen: Injured Thumb May Never Return To Normal
- Hurricanes winger Teuvo Teravainen dealt with a thumb injury last season that caused him to miss part of the playoffs as well. While he was able to return for the final game of the postseason and is a full participant in training camp, the winger told reporters including Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer, that while his thumb feels pretty good, he doesn’t believe it will truly get back to ‘normal’. The 29-year-old is entering the final year of his contract and will be looking for a big year whether it’s with Carolina or elsewhere; significant talks on an extension have yet to begin.
Andrei Svechnikov Expected To Be Ready For Start Of Regular Season
Carolina Hurricanes winger Andrei Svechnikov is ahead of schedule in his recovery from reconstructive knee surgery performed in March and will likely be cleared to play by the start of the 2023-24 regular season, general manager Don Waddell told The Athletic’s Michael Russo today.
Svechnikov tore an ACL ligament just after the trade deadline had passed, resulting in surgery that kept him out for the remainder of the 2022-23 regular season and playoffs. It was a gigantic blow to the scoring ability of a Hurricanes team that still managed to reach the Eastern Conference Final without him but lost in a sweep to the Florida Panthers. Carolina has now lost three consecutive Conference Final series without winning a game – in fact, the franchise, despite all their recent success, has not won a game in the final two postseason rounds since winning the Stanley Cup in 2006.
Being ready for the start of the regular season was always a possibility but never a certainty. The standard recovery timeline for his procedure is six to nine months, meaning he could have returned as early as training camp but as late as the Christmas break. There’s been a tone of optimism around Svechnikov’s recovery all summer after he started skating in mid-July, but Waddell stopped short of saying he’d be ready to go for the season opener as soon as last month.
A healthy and confident Svechnikov will be a core piece in helping the Hurricanes get over the hump and again compete for a Stanley Cup. After reshaping their blueline to have the most depth in the league, thanks to adds like Dmitry Orlov, Anthony DeAngelo and Caleb Jones, the Hurricanes are in the conversation for President’s Trophy favorites ahead of puck drop on 2023-24.
Svechnikov is entering the third season of an eight-year, $62MM contract signed before the 2021-22 campaign. The 23-year-old is still looking to eclipse the point-per-game mark for the first time but was still on pace for back-to-back 30-goal seasons before the ACL tear ended his campaign prematurely. He totalled 23 goals, 32 points and 55 points in 64 games last year and has accumulated 112 goals in 347 games throughout his NHL career.
He’s currently projected to help anchor the team’s second forward line on the left wing, with Jesperi Kotkaniemi down the middle and Martin Necas on the right flank. That line controlled 56.9% of expected goals at even strength through 231 minutes together last season, per MoneyPuck. Youngster Seth Jarvis and free-agent acquisition Michael Bunting could get primary even-strength ice time with Sebastian Aho as their center to start the season.
Carolina Takes Brett Pesce Off Of Trade Block
In his recent 32 Thoughts article, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman shared that Brett Pesce is no longer available to teams – at least, for the time being. The veteran defender, and soon-to-be free agent, was given permission to talk to other teams during the summer but Carolina is going all-in this season, and that includes Pesce’s help.
Above all else, this decision provides clarity to the Hurricanes’ back end. The team is full of defensive talent, with their depth including Caleb Jones, Jalen Chatfield, Domenick Fensore, Dylan Coghlan, and recent PTO-signee Nathan Beaulieu. That’s a lot of competition for six blue-line spots that already seem occupied. And the list doesn’t even include top prospect Alexander Nikishin, who’s started the KHL season with SKA St. Petersburg rather than attending training camp.
But despite the potential for a logjam, Carolina remains invested in Pesce. And that’s certainly not a surprise; Pesce has played over 20 minutes per night since his sophomore season way back in 2016-17. He’s become an integral piece of the team’s top four, serving a responsible, defense-focused role. And though Pesce himself has never been much of a scorer, he did record a career-high 30 points last season, marked by 25 assists.
While Pesce’s contract negotiations haven’t resulted in an extension yet, Friedman didn’t rule it out given Carolina’s renewed investment. The team is projected to enter next summer with a staggering $31.65MM in cap space and 13 free agents to work with. This includes anchors of the Canes top-six in Teuvo Teravainen and Seth Jarvis. Carolina will also be faced with what to do with their defense, with only Dmitry Orlov, Burns, and Jaccob Slavin on contract beyond this year. It’ll be an interesting summer, and extending Pesce early would certainly make it an easier one to navigate. But for Carolina, all sights are set on this season – one they’re hoping ends with some hardware.
Hurricanes Notes: Pesce, Teravainen, DeAngelo
Hurricanes blueliner Brett Pesce has switched agents, reports Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer. After working with Edge Sports Management, the defenseman is now represented by Wasserman’s Judd Moldaver. The timing of the change is notable since the 28-year-old is entering the final year of his contract. Pesce has emerged as a quality top-three defender over the past few years and set a new career-high in points last season with 30. He’s undoubtedly in line to land a sizable raise on his current $4.025MM AAV but with Brady Skjei also in need of a new deal, Carolina probably won’t be able to afford to keep both. Pesce made it clear that his preference is to remain with the Hurricanes but earlier this summer, GM Don Waddell noted that the team wasn’t close to re-signing any of their pending UFAs.
Elsewhere in Carolina:
- Luke DeCock of the Raleigh News & Observer wonders if Carolina would be better off just letting winger Teuvo Teravainen play out the final year of his deal and then move on next summer. The 29-year-old is coming off a down year that saw him score just 12 goals in 68 games but has a good enough track record that it would still cost more than his current $5.4MM AAV to extend him. With Martin Necas and Seth Jarvis both restricted free agents next summer, they may need Teravainen’s money to get those two locked up to long-term agreements.
- In his latest piece for The Athletic (subscription link), Cory Lavalette sat down with blueliner Anthony DeAngelo, a mid-summer signing after his contract was bought out by Philadelphia. Despite their strong defensive depth, he opted to go back to an organization that he was comfortable with over one where he would have had a better shot at a bigger role and more playing time. After what he called a season full of inconsistent play with the Flyers, he’ll be looking to stabilize things somewhat before testing the market again next summer.
Carolina Hurricanes Sign Zach Aston-Reese To PTO
The Carolina Hurricanes have signed a seventh, and according to team reporter Walt Ruff, final player to a PTO for this preseason and training camp: Zach Aston-Reese.
Aston-Reese, 29, arrives in Carolina after one season spent playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs. A former college hockey star, Aston-Reese has settled into a role as a fourth-line defensive and penalty-killing specialist in the NHL. While his gaudy offensive numbers from Northeastern University never translated to the pro game, Aston-Reese remains a well-regarded player thanks to his defensive contributions.
Last season, Aston-Reese scored 10 goals and 14 points in 77 games while playing 10:55 per night, including just under a minute per night on the penalty kill. Given Aston-Reese’s positive defensive contributions, it’s been somewhat surprising that he’s lingered on the open market for consecutive offseasons. It could be that NHL teams may prefer free agent fourth-liners with more of a physical dimension to their game than Aston-Reese is known for.
In any case, he’ll head to Carolina to compete with their other PTO additions along with incumbent players for a fourth-line role and NHL deal.
The club’s PTO haul includes five other forwards: Kieffer Bellows, Cory Conacher, Brendan Perlini, Nick Shore, and Jayden Halbgewachs, meaning Aston-Reese will have quite a few players to compete with for a job on head coach Rod Brind’Amour’s opening-night lineup.
Carolina Hurricanes Sign Kieffer Bellows, Jayden Halbgewachs To PTOs
The Carolina Hurricanes signed two players to PTOs last night, forward Kieffer Bellows and Jayden Halbgewachs. This move grows the Hurricanes’ stable of PTO additions to six players, as the club has already signed tryout agreements with Cory Conacher, Brendan Perlini, Nick Shore, and defenseman Nathan Beaulieu.
It’s set to be a competitive training camp in Raleigh as a result, and the battle for NHL jobs should be especially fierce given that the Hurricanes don’t currently have an official AHL affiliate. Their general manager, Don Waddell, has offered assurances throughout the summer that the organization will be able to loan its players to teams in the AHL without an affiliation agreement, but without any certainty on where Hurricanes players might be playing in the NHL, it could make the pressure even greater to win one of the NHL jobs on offer.
In Bellows, the Hurricanes are adding a former top prospect who hasn’t lived up to the hype in the NHL. Bellows, 25, is the owner of an NHL-caliber shot and has hit the 20-goal mark in the AHL. But in the NHL, Bellows hasn’t been able to become any sort of consistent goal scorer, in large part thanks to his deficiencies as a skater.
The lack of time and space available in the NHL, a trademark characteristic of the world’s most difficult league, combined with Bellows’ lack of separation ability has made it almost impossible for him to get into quality scoring positions.
As a result, he’s been forced to settle for lower percentage chances when he does manage to get his shot off. (low-percentage shots he still sometimes manages to score on due to the quality of his shot)
Bellows’ inability to consistently create space for himself to get higher-quality chances could help explain why his shooting percentage over the last two years stands at a paltry 8.1%.
His lack of offensive production meant that Bellows, who stands six-foot-one, 195 pounds, was also tried in a bottom-six checking role, but he proved ineffective there too. He was claimed off of waivers by the Philadelphia Flyers this past season, but only managed three points in 27 games. The Flyers didn’t extend him a qualifying offer, and he’s been left on the UFA market until now.
The hero of the 2018 IIHF World Junior Championships and 2016 first-round pick faces a tough task in training camp trying to earn a roster on such a good Hurricanes team, but Carolina wouldn’t have signed him if they didn’t believe he at least stood a chance of winning a job on their team.
As for Halbgewachs, he’s had a very different experience in many ways to Bellows so far in his career. While Bellows is a big, powerful winger, Halbgewachs stands five-foot-eight, 160 pounds. While Bellows was a first-round pick and top prospect, Halbgewachs is an undrafted player who had to score 70 goals and 129 points in the WHL en route to his entry-level contract. But they do have some similarities. Halbgewachs, like Bellows, has proven to be a quality AHL player but has had NHL success elude him.
Halbgewachs scored 41 points in 59 AHL games last season and even earned his first NHL call-up, eventually playing in three games for the San Jose Sharks. He didn’t re-sign in San Jose, though, as at-the-time new Sharks GM Mike Grier elected not to extend Halbgewachs an offer. So Halbgewachs went to Europe, signing a SHL deal with the Växjö Lakers. He won an SHL title with Växjö, but only managed 24 points in 69 combined regular-season and playoff games.
Even more than Bellows, Halbgewachs faces long odds at winning an NHL job. A player at his size playing an offensive game typically needs to be able to stick on a scoring line to have a role, and it’s highly unlikely Halbgewachs will be able to unseat one of the Hurricanes’ incumbent scorers.
But this PTO nonetheless gives him an opportunity to test his mettle against NHL-caliber competition in training camp, and potentially play some preseason games to showcase his talents to the wider hockey world.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
No Extension Talks Between Hurricanes And Martin Necas; Joey Keane Signs New Deal In KHL
- Hurricanes forward Martin Necas is entering the final year of his contract this season and thus is eligible to sign a contract extension. However, he recently told NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti that there have been no discussions yet about a possible new deal. The 24-year-old took a significant step forward last season, posting career highs across the board with 28 goals, 43 assists, 71 points, 240 shots, and an ATOI of 18:25 per night. Signed for a $3MM AAV this season, Necas’ next deal could very well double that amount or more if he’s able to have a similar offensive showing in 2023-24.
- Still with Carolina, prospect defenseman Joey Keane has signed a one-year deal with Spartak of the KHL, per a team announcement. The 24-year-old had a good first season in Russia, picking up 24 points in 64 games last year. Keane has a pair of NHL games under his belt with the Hurricanes who retain his RFA rights through the 2026-27 campaign. If he takes a step forward this year, he could play his way back into the mix for a spot in North America.
Hurricanes Sign Working Agreement With ECHL Club
- The Carolina Hurricanes have announced a working agreement with the ECHL’s Norfolk Admirals that will allow the Hurricanes to assign prospects to the ECHL club. The Admirals are the official affiliates of the Winnipeg Jets, but per this agreement, they’ll share the ability to send prospects to Norfolk alongside Winnipeg. The ECHL is typically not where NHL teams send most of their prospects, but in the case that the Hurricanes find they need to send a prospect to North America’s third-tier league they now have a clear path to do so.