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The Carolina Hurricanes were active in free agency today, adding defenseman Dmitry Orlov and forward Michael Bunting, while also re-signing Frederik Andersen, Jesper Fast and Antti Raanta.
Despite being nearly 32 years old, Orlov was arguably the top defenseman on the market, and signed a two-year deal at a $7.75M cap hit. After spending his entire career with the Washington Capitals, he was flipped to the Boston Bruins at the trade deadline and ended up posting 36 points in 66 games during the season overall.
Bunting signed a three-year deal at a $4.5M cap hit. The 27-year-old winger emerged as a high-intensity, top-six forward with the Toronto Maple Leafs over the last two years. He posted 23 goals and 49 points in 82 games with the team this season.
Of the two additions, each player joins the team on a fair deal. Orlov essentially took less term for a higher cap hit but his addition gives the Hurricanes a ton of options with their defense group. Meanwhile, Bunting ends up on a cheaper deal than expected. Both contract projections were available at HockeyComparables.com, linked below:
- ARTICLE: Projecting Dmitry Orlov’s next contract
- ARTICLE: Projecting Michael Bunting’s next contract
As for the three extensions, Jesper Fast’s deal had already been reported, so it didn’t come as much of a surprise. His contract is for two years at a $2.4 million cap hit – I had projected his two-year at $2.25 million per year, so it comes in pretty much right as expected.
Andersen and Raanta both returning is still a bit of a surprise overall, even though there were reports the team was looking to bring back both goaltenders. Pyotr Kochetkov was seemingly ready to take on an NHL job, but at the same time, they got both goalies at a good price.
I had a one-year deal for Raanta at $2.25M, so his $1.5M cap hit looks great. Meanwhile, Frederik Andersen’s deal was for two years, carrying a $3.4 million cap hit. It also comes in a bit cheaper than expected, with his projection article available below.
- ARTICLE: Projecting Frederik Andersen’s next contract
Kopchetkov is still waivers-exempt for next season, and we know both Andersen and Raanta are injury-prone, so it’ll give Kochetkov another year to develop before likely taking over Raanta’s role in 2024.
With all the signing though, Max Pacioretty left in free agency, joining the Washington Capitals.
Pacioretty signed a one-year deal at $2M, which carries a $4M AAV when factoring in potential bonuses. The deal looked similar to the projection I had released for Pacioretty yesterday, which can be viewed here:
- ARTICLE: Projecting Max Pacioretty’s next contract
Despite the huge injury issues, I was a bit surprised that the Hurricanes didn’t opt to re-sign Pacioretty for that price. At the same time, they got Bunting at a good price and only have so many spots in the top-nine.
In smaller news, Max Lajoie also left the organization, signing with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
We’ll see if the Hurricanes are done, or if there's more to come. There have been reports of either and extension or trade for Brett Pesce, which is another significant story to track in the coming days.
All UFA contract projections are available at HockeyComparables.com
QuizMaker
OTHER ARTICLES FROM JUNE
Which of the Hurricanes’ UFAs will return next season?
Hurricanes re-sign Jordan Staal, could re-acquire Tony DeAngelo from Flyers
Hurricanes select Bradly Nadeau with 30th overall pick
Hurricanes select nine players in Rounds 2-7, Puljujarvi won't be qualified 
Carolina Hurricanes Blogger • 
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