June 29, 2012 7:38 AM
This Sunday marks the start of the NHL’s unrestricted free agent period, and with it, the biggest potential for change to the Checkers’ roster.
| FREE AGENT LIST |
| POSITION |
PLAYER |
STATUS |
| LW |
CHRIS DURNO |
UNRESTRICTED |
| C |
CEDRIC MCNICOLL |
UNRESTRICTED |
| RW |
MATTHEW PISTILLI |
UNRESTRICTED |
| LW |
JUSTIN SORYAL |
UNRESTRICTED |
| C |
BRETT SUTTER |
RE-SIGNED W/ CAROLINA |
| LW |
MATT BECA |
UNRESTRICTED (AHL) |
| D |
MATHIEU ROY |
SIGNED IN GERMANY |
| D |
RYAN DONALD |
UNRESTRICTED (AHL) |
| D |
CHRIS MURRAY |
UNRESTRICTED (AHL) |
| G |
JUSTIN PETERS |
RE-SIGNED W/ CAROLINA |
| |
|
|
| LW |
DRAYSON BOWMAN |
RESTRICTED |
| LW |
ZACH BOYCHUK |
RESTRICTED |
| RW |
EVGENII DADONOV |
RESTRICTED (SIGNED IN RUSSIA) |
| RW |
JEROME SAMSON |
RESTRICTED |
| LW |
CHRIS TERRY |
RE-SIGNED W/ CAROLINA |
| G |
MIKE MURPHY |
RESTRICTED (Signed in russia) |
A total of seven players who played for Charlotte last season under NHL contracts will be free to negotiate with other teams should they not agree to new deals with the Carolina Hurricanes before noon on July 1. That’s not to say that they’re guaranteed to leave if they hit the open market, but they’ll at least be able to see what else is out there. The same goes for three more players at the AHL level whose contracts with Charlotte are also set to expire.
The organization also has a handful of restricted free agents to sign, but those do not come with the same level of urgency as their unrestricted brethren since the Hurricanes retain their exclusive rights. As such, most of those contracts probably won’t be signed until later in the month.
What follows is position-by-position guide to free agency from the Checkers’ perspective, with in-house free agents and potential needs under consideration. We’ll also update the above table throughout the rest of the summer to keep track of signings.
Forward
The Checkers have just eight forwards under contract for next season, four of whom (Zac Dalpe, Riley Nash, Sean Dolan and A.J. Jenks) played the bulk of the previous campaign at center. That would seem to make the wings an important position to watch, as there are currently no proven scorers who currently have deals for 2012-13.
That being said, the team’s restricted free agent list reads like a who’s who list of the team’s top forwards: Drayson Bowman, Zach Boychuk, Evgenii Dadonov, Jerome Samson and Chris Terry. Should most or all of those players return, the Checkers should be all set.
Should those players not be available for next season for one reason or another, whether it be graduation to the NHL, departure for a European club or an early-season waiver claim (all five would need to clear waivers if cut from Carolina’s training camp roster), outside help will be required. With the possible exception of center Victor Rask, the Checkers will not get much help in terms of junior or college prospects turning pro next season.
Some spots would be filled if unrestricted free agents Brett Sutter, Chris Durno and Justin Soryal re-sign. Matthew Pistilli and Cedric McNicoll, who did not receive qualifying offers that would have allowed the Hurricanes to retain their rights, seem destined to leave the organization, though they could potentially still return.
Defense
The blue line is easily the least volatile position, with six players from last season (including five of the top six) already under contract. Veteran Mathieu Roy, who signed a one-year deal last summer, is the only Checkers regular headed for unrestricted free agency.
Even with the departure of Brian Dumoulin via trade to Pittsburgh, there is also enough incoming depth at the position to make the addition of a new player less of a necessity, as former Plymouth Whalers Austin Levi and Beau Schmitz are set to begin their pro careers. That could preclude the need for AHL signings along the lines of Ryan Donald and Chris Murray, each of whom started last season with the Florida Everblades but spent some time in Charlotte as injury replacements.
If there is a change on defense, it will be designed to change the balance of the unit as a whole. The lack of puck-movers on a squad dominated by stay-at-home types was a sore spot for the Checkers last season, a problem that could be made even worse should leading scorer Bobby Sanguinetti graduate to Carolina.
Goal
 With Mike Murphy (signed with a Russian team), potential newcomer Frederik Andersen (re-entered draft) and Carolina backup Brian Boucher (shoulder surgery) out of the picture for the time being, the organization will have to fill as many as three holes at the position. Currently, Carolina starter Cam Ward and returning Checker John Muse are the only goalies with contracts for next season.
The re-signing of Justin Peters, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent, would fill one of those spots, but there’s also the possibility that he signs elsewhere. Hurricanes General Manager Jim Rutherford has said that Peters will be allowed to test the market, but that he is also a candidate to return to the organization.
With the Hurricanes needing to bring in at least one new face, they’ll have to make a decision about whether to make him someone who can back up Ward at the NHL level, become the No. 3 option after Ward and Peters (and Charlotte’s starter in the process) or become Muse’s backup with the Checkers. They should have no shortage of options at either route, with several of the AHL’s top goalies from last season, along with the usual array of NHL backups and unsigned prospects, on track to be available starting Sunday. |
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