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A breakout player is sticking around. Defenseman Jalen Chatfield and the Carolina Hurricanes have agreed to a 3 year, $9 million contract extension, according to an announcement by the team.
Carolina interim GM Eric Tulsky said of the re-signing that "Jalen has been an integral part of our blue line over the last two seasons and firmly established himself as an NHL defenseman. His elite speed and tireless work ethic make him an incredibly dynamic player at both ends of the ice."
Chatfield was due to become a UFA on July 1 and now gets a hefty pay bump from the $762,500 he made over the last two seasons. He now gets $3 million annually through the 2026-2027 season and his contract does not have any trade protection attached to it. He'll be a UFA at the expiration of the contract.
Last season, Chatfield set career bests in point output for the Hurricanes. He scored 8 goals and chipped in 14 assists for 22 points, adding a +15 rating to the equation over an average of 15:12 of ice time per game in 72 games. He added two assists and a -1 rating in 11 playoff games.
After an 18 game showing with the Vancouver Canucks in the shortened 2021 season, the Hurricanes brought in Chatfield on a two way contract. He's grown into a reliable defenseman since, producing 14 goals and 25 assists offensively as well. Last season, he set career highs in goals, assists, points, and average ice time.
The Hurricanes are coming off their second straight second place finish in the Metropolitan Division last season, making the playoffs for the 6th year in a row. They lost in the second round of the playoffs to the New York Rangers after going 52-23-7 in the regular season.
With Chatfield signed, the Hurricanes have roughly $23 million in cap space available. They have a long list of pending UFA's, with Jake Guentzel, Antti Raanta, Brett Pesce, Teuvo Teravainen, and Jordan Martinook all set to hit the open market. Seth Jarvis and Martin Necas are their key RFA's.
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