Carolina Hurricanes make roster moves during free agency, draft

Plenty of team favorites are saying goodbye, but the Carolina Hurricanes’ new talent will make for a promising 2024-25 season.

Fans and a player celebrating at a Carolina Hurricanes hockey game.

Caniacs are known as the “loudest fans in hockey.”

Photo by Scott Cunningham

The NHL’s free agency period started Monday, July 1, and the Carolina Hurricanes haven’t hesitated to make big roster moves. Here’s who’s leaving the Canes and who is heading to Carolina next season.

Who’s leaving

During the NHL Draft, the Canes traded the rights to sign forward Jake Guentzel to the Tampa Bay Lightning for a third-round pick in next year’s draft, signing him for seven years.

Also waving goodbye to the Canes are Brady Skjei, going to the Nashville Predators; Stefan Noesen + Brett Pesce to the New Jersey Devils; and Teuvo Teravainen to the Chicago Blackhawks, which originally drafted him.

Who’s staying

Defenseman Jaccob Slavin has signed onto the Canes through the 2031-32 season with a total contract worth $51.69 million. Slavin has been with the Canes since he was drafted in 2015.

Also staying is Jordan Martinook to a three-year, $9.15 million contract — Martinook scored 54 goals across six seasons with Carolina.

New faces on the ice

Caniacs might recognize defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere from the 2022-23 season, and he’s back for more. Last year, Gostisbehere notched 10 goals and 46 assists for the Detroit Red Wings.

The Canes are also welcoming defenseman Sean Walker on a five-year contract from Colorado, winger William Carrier from Vegas, with forward Tyson Jost + winger Eric Robinson both coming from stints with the Buffalo Sabres.

The Canes also added new, young talent during the NHL Draft — meet the newest members of the Canes. Plus, the Canes just dropped their regular season schedule.

Heads up, free agency isn’t over yet, and this roster is not set in stone. We’ll keep you in the know with what’s next for the Canes.

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