On June 13, 2024, the Carolina Hurricanes locked up 28-year-old defenseman Jalen Chatfield to a three-year contract worth $3 million each season ($9 million in total). The shutdown defender scored eight goals and 14 assists for 22 points in 72 games in 2023-24.
In his career, Chatfield has 210 games played across the regular season and the playoffs. Why were the Hurricanes so eager to keep him?
Chatfield Provides Defensive Stability
While Chatfield has only played third-pairing minutes for the Hurricanes, he has done a terrific job of preventing scoring chances. In 2023-24, he was on the ice for just 35 even-strength goals against him in 1,039 minutes versus 50 in his favor—this gave him a plus-15 rating. Among the 145 defensemen who played at least 1,000 minutes of ice time at even strength, his 1.96 expected goals against per 60 (xGA/60) was the best, while his 59.5 expected goals percentage (xGF%) was fourth.
Chatfield isn’t exactly someone you lean on, but having an elite third pairing is important in the NHL. He’s a big reason why the Hurricanes are one of the best teams in the league at suppressing chances, so bringing him back wasn’t exactly a difficult decision for Carolina.
Fit with Carolina
A right-handed defenseman, Chatfield can give the Hurricanes some stability for their defensive depth for the next three seasons. Had they let him go in free agency, it would have been almost impossible to perfectly replicate what he provides. Cheaping out on defense doesn’t always go to plan, so the Hurricanes were willing to pay somewhat of a premium for a player who had just 15:12 of average ice time per game.
Assuming Chatfield’s role doesn’t change, his presence allows 21-year-old defender Scott Morrow to play on the Hurricanes’ second-pairing if he ends up making the roster. Instead of restricting him to minimal ice time, the youngster can flourish if he is given that opportunity. If he or the right-handed defender that is ahead of Chatfield struggles a bit, they can give the latter a usage increase—their back end should be solid no matter what.
Related: 2024 NHL Free Agency Tracker
The Hurricanes still have some big decisions to make on pending free agents such as Jake Guentzel, Martin Necas, Seth Jarvis, Brady Skjei, and Brett Pesce, but they got a sizable fish secured on a team-friendly deal—his abilities could have potentially gotten him a higher dollar amount elsewhere. The Hurricanes have a big offseason ahead of them, but for now, general manager (GM) Eric Tulsky did a good job with this signing.
