Advertisement

Hurricanes sign star forward Andrei Svechnikov to monster 8-year deal

There will be no
There will be no "bridge deal" for star winger Andrei Svechnikov, who inked an eight-year contract with the Hurricanes on Thursday. (Getty)

After losing a couple big ones this summer, the Carolina Hurricanes managed to keep one of their key, young franchise cornerstones around for the long term.

Carolina reached an agreement with 21-year-old star winger Andrei Svechnikov on a shiny new eight-year deal, the team announced on Thursday. The contract is worth $62 million total, coming in at a $7.75M average annual value (AAV), according to multiple reports. The deal could keep the former No. 2 overall draft pick with the organization through the 2028-29 campaign.

Svechnikov was a restricted free agent and, according to the Associated Press, the Canes "had long been in extension talks with [Svechnikov], though [Hurricanes GM] Don Waddell had floated the possibility of a shorter-term 'bridge' type deal to ensure getting something done if a long-term deal couldn’t be reached."

The former OHL standout has posted 59 goals and 140 points in 205 games (0.68 ppg) over his first three NHL seasons with the Canes. He's tallied nine goals and 20 points in 26 career Stanley Cup Playoff contests.

It's been a strange offseason for the Canes, who let star blueliner Dougie Hamilton walk in free agency, flipped budding goaltender and Calder Trophy finalist Alex Nedeljkovic to the Red Wings for some reason, and faced backlash for signing embattled blueliner Tony Deangelo all before inking Svechnikov on Thursday.

More from Yahoo Sports