The New Jersey Devils have signed defenseman Connor Carrick to a two-year contract extension worth $1.5 million per season.
Carrick appeared in 34 games last season, 20 of which came with the Devils after being acquired in the Ben Lovejoy trade at the deadline.
Carrick made the most of his opportunity down the stretch. He mustered up seven points while positively impacting the team's Expected Goals For% (+0.57) and *actual* Goals For% (+8.65) at 5v5.
He also played with a little bite and wasn't afraid to pushback when things heated up physically. That's something the team felt like it was lacking, as evident by a few of the additions GM Ray Shero has made thus far (Wayne Simmonds, John Hayden, etc.).
Though $1.5 million might seem like a lot for someone who, as currently constructed, probably doesn't figure into the team's opening night top-6, he is a pretty solid depth defender and a good guy to have around as insurance.
The Devils are also swimming in cap space right now so it's not like they can't afford to pay a little extra to keep Carrick in the fold.
Carrick was scheduled for an arbitration hearing July 25th but that will no longer be necessary.
Pavel Zacha, Mirco Mueller and Will Butcher are the remaining RFAs the Devils still need to take care of, with the latter two due for hearings on July 28th and August 2nd.