The Carolina Hurricanes have reportedly re-signed defenseman Jalen Chatfield to a three-year contract, carrying a $3M cap hit. The deal has yet to be announced by the team, but was reported by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, among others.
Chatfield is 28 years old and has been a third-pairing defenseman with the team for the last two years. This past season, he managed eight goals and 22 points in 72 games, averaging a little over 15 minutes per game in ice time.
It’s a solid deal for the Hurricanes, coming in at an expected cap hit and length – I had projected Chatfield’s deal would come in at three years with a $3.17M cap hit, at HockeyComparables.com.
Chatfield is a very reliable defender, usually in the right spot positionally to break up plays or take the puck off an opponent. He also has a great work ethic, is effective in battles around his own net, and was a little more engaged offensively this season. Chatfield also showed this year that he’s able to take on a larger role when called upon.
With both Brady Skjei and Brett Pesce on expiring deals, locking up Chatfield is a big step for Carolina. As of now, they have four established defensemen signed heading into next season: Chatfield, Jaccob Slavin, Brent Burns, and Dmitry Orlov.
It’s going to be interesting to see how the Hurricanes structure their pairings, though. They could, in theory, just shift up Orlov/Chatfield to use the duo as a second pairing. At the same time, even though Orlov was much better as the year went on and Chatfield was good in sporadic top-four appearances, we don't know if they'll be as effective in a larger role, especially compared to the Brady Skjei/Brett Pesce second pairing. There’s still a decent chance that if neither of Skjei or Pesce are re-signed, the Hurricanes could look to add a cheaper, external addition to the group as well.
Regardless, Chatfield has proven to be an important part of the defense group, and it’s great to see him extended in Carolina.
OTHER OFFSEASON ARTICLES
- Is trading Martin Necas the right move for the Hurricanes?
Carolina Hurricanes Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»