They say there is no rest for general managers and front offices in the NHL, even in the offseason. That can be true for the Carolina Hurricanes’ general manager Eric Tulsky and his front office. After a whirlwind on Day 1 back on Monday (July 1), the Hurricanes went out on Day 3 of free agency to add two more players to the organization. Tulsky has shown that he will keep working as hard as possible to build a competitive team in Raleigh for the next few seasons. While these two additions might not set the world on fire, they do bring assets to the game that the Hurricanes could benefit from during the 2024-25 season.
Welcome, Riley Stillman
Earlier in the day on Wednesday, July 3, the Hurricanes went out and signed defenseman Riley Stillman to a one-year, two-way contract. The 26-year-old Peterborough, Ontario native will earn $775,000 in the NHL and $150,000 at the American Hockey League (AHL) level. Also, part of the deal comes with a $350,000 guarantee. Riley is the son of former Hurricanes forward Cory Stillman who won a Stanley Cup with the team during the 2005-06 season. He is a two-way defenseman who brings more of a defensive aspect to the game which could help in the penalty-killing department for the Canes.
Stillman during the 2023-24 season with the Rochester Americans in the AHL tallied two goals and six points in 47 games. The former 114th overall pick in the 2016 NHL Draft has been moved to multiple franchises over his young career. He has been part of the Florida Panthers, Chicago Blackhawks, Vancouver Canucks, and most recently the Buffalo Sabres alongside Tyson Jost and Eric Robinson. Over his six-year career, he has played in 158 NHL games accumulating four goals and 26 points over that span. When it comes down to it, he will mainly be a depth option for the Hurricanes while spending time in the AHL with the team’s affiliate, the Chicago Wolves.
Related: Hurricanes Navigate Chaotic Day 1 of Free Agency 2024
When asked about the addition of Stillman, Tulsky stated, “Riley is a reliable, highly competitive defenseman who can kill penalties. He has considerable experience at both the NHL and AHL levels, and he’s still a young player. This signing will help improve our organizational depth on defense.”
Being able to have an AHL affiliate again will help the Hurricanes bolster the minor league team with a combination of their own prospects and depth players who can play in the AHL and NHL. The addition of Stillman, Jost, and Robinson for example, if anything happens on the main roster, those types of guys can be called up and play right away. It gives the Hurricanes flexibility to have depth waiting in case of injuries while having that “veteran presence” in the AHL for the prospects who are coming in from overseas or from the NCAA/Canadian Hockey League (CHL). It’ll be interesting to see what Stillman can do for the Hurricanes and the Wolves over the 2024-25 season, but it will be worth watching for the former Oshawa General and Hamilton Bulldog from the Ontario Hockey League (OHL).
That’s the Fact, Jack Roslovic
Tulsky and the Hurricanes are not done adding as Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reported on Wednesday night (July 3) that they are going to sign forward Jack Roslovic. The former 25th overall pick in the 2015 NHL Draft by the Winnipeg Jets played 40 games for the Columbus Blue Jackets before being traded to the New York Rangers at the trade deadline. He finished the 2023-24 season playing 19 regular season games and 16 playoff games for the Rangers.
Roslovic tallied six goals and 23 points with the Blue Jackets in those 40 games and then followed it up by having three goals and eight points for the Blue Shirts. In the postseason, he had two goals and eight points in the Eastern Conference Final run before being eliminated by the eventual Stanley Cup winners the Panthers. His best season so far in his career came during the 2021-22 season with the Blue Jackets where he accumulated 22 goals and 45 points in 81 games.
When it comes to Roslovic’s game, it is perplexing. Over his eight-year career, he seems to have ebbs and flows to his production in the NHL. When he plays to the abilities that the Jets saw to draft him, he has the high-end hockey sense along with the pace and skill to be deployed in multiple situations. He can be someone who coaches, especially Rod Brind’Amour, could use in every zone of the ice along with special teams. He can also be used as a second power-play unit guy if needed. He more so leans distributor rather than a shooter. Furthermore, he does have some net drive in his game via zone entries, and when he gains the edge in transition that could lead to rushes. Roslovic does have the speed that can help push the play when attacking the offensive zone.
Related: Blue Jackets’ Jack Roslovic Talks Recent Play & Immediate Future
Roslovic just finished a two-year, $8 million deal which he signed with the Blue Jackets back in June 2022. The Hurricanes signed him to a one-year, $2.8 million deal. There is a case to be made where it could be a one or two-year prove-it deal with an average annual value (AAV) somewhere around $2.5 to $3 million. He does fit the right-shot center that former general manager Don Waddell said the Hurricanes need for the 2024-25 season. However, he has a career 43.2% faceoff percentage, but if there is a team to learn that skill from, it’s one with Jordan Staal and Brind’Amour who are elite faceoff guys. Roslovic can play right-wing as well and the Hurricanes are slim at the position outside of restricted free agent (RFA) Seth Jarvis and Jesper Fast. The flexibility of playing center and wing could see him get more opportunities in the top nine if Carolina does not play him at center right away.
Jack is a dynamic player who has been an offensive contributor for his entire career. Adding another right-handed playmaker capable of injecting speed and skill into the lineup will provide a boost to our forward group
Eric Tulsky
Either way, it’s a low-risk, high-reward acquisition for the Hurricanes that one hopes to pan out for the 27-year-old Columbus, Ohio native.
Final Thoughts
It is still the early days of free agency and there are still big names left as unrestricted free agents (UFA). The Hurricanes are not a team to make knee-jerk reactions/signings that can hurt the team more than help. They have a system that has made them playoff regulars and Stanley Cup contenders. Carolina is an organization with a front office that is more patient when it comes to free-agent signings. The slow, methodical way of how they do it does work for the most part. Now it’s time to cash in and see the team capture their second Stanley Cup in franchise history. It is only July 4 and there is so much more of the offseason to go before opening night on Friday, Oct. 11 versus the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Tulsky and the Hurricanes have a plan, let’s see where this goes as the summer days roll on.
