After losing pending RFA blueliner Tarmo Reunanen to a team in Finland earlier this week, the Hurricanes have lost another pending RFA defenseman to a club overseas as Lulea of the SHL announced the signing of Jesper Sellgren to a three-year contract.
The 24-year-old was a sixth-round pick of Carolina back in 2018 (166th overall) and he transferred to Lulea’s system soon after so he’s returning to a familiar team. This past season was his first full one in North America and he did relatively well, picking up 26 points in 73 regular season games with AHL Chicago while chipping in with three assists as the Wolves won the Calder Cup title.
However, with an NHL opportunity likely not coming, Sellgren has decided to head back home to a league he has already played parts of four seasons in. While Carolina can still retain his NHL rights with a qualifying offer, by the time this contract expires in 2025, it will be lining up with him being an unrestricted free agent in the NHL. Accordingly, the Hurricanes could simply decide to relinquish his rights later this month.