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Free agency began Wednesday in the NHL but the Carolina Hurricanes held off on making any moves.
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The Canes, after a Stanley Cup championship, weren’t standing pat. They just didn’t immediately go rushing in.
The Hurricanes did not sign defenseman John Carlson. Carolina traded Saturday for the negotiating rights to the veteran and former Cup winner, but could not reach a deal by Wednesday as Carlson became an unrestricted free agent.
Also becoming a UFA was goaltender Frederik Andersen, who was in net for 13 of the Canes’ 16 victories in the run to the Stanley Cup. Andersen, 36, has been with Carolina the past five seasons and won 98 regular-season and 32 playoff games.
Free agency began at noon Wednesday. By late afternoon, neither Andersen nor Carlson had signed with the Canes – or anyone else. Neither had defenseman Mike Reilly, a UFA who played 42 games for Carolina last season.
A year ago, the Canes did not reach a free-agent deal with forward Nikolaj Ehlers until two days after free agency began on July 1. Ehlers spent the first 10 years of his career in Winnipeg with the Jets and was considered perhaps the best UFA forward available on the market.
The opening day for free agency was a busy one in the NHL, with some contract terms and financial figures that were intriguing. Veteran defenseman Jacob Trouba, 32, got a four-year deal from the San Jose Sharks that will pay $8.25 million a year – perhaps the kind of money Carlson, 36, reportedly is seeking.
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The Chicago Blackhawks, after trading Tuesday for defenseman Bowen Byram in a deal with the Buffalo Sabres, signed him to a six-year contract that begins in 2027-28 and will average $12.5 million.
That will make Byram the highest-paid defenseman in the NHL. Byram, 25, won a Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche before signing a two-year deal with the Sabres worth $6.25 million a year.
There has been speculation that Canes defenseman Alexander Nikishin might be available for a trade. Nikishin, 25, is a restricted free agent and has been made a qualifying offer by the team, but could be seeking a bigger role and bigger contract by being moved to another team.
Carolina general manager Eric Tulsky sounded like someone prepared to make offseason moves when he talked with the media Friday during the NHL draft.
Winning a Cup, he said, “Can’t make you complacent and say, ‘We’re fine where we are.’ Other teams are making steps and things change year to year. We need to find ways to get better every time we can.”
A day later, the Canes arranged a deal with the Anaheim Ducks for the negotiating rights to Carlson, who had spent 17 seasons with the Washington Capitals before a March trade to the Ducks.
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