Fransen was the 69th overall pick by the Hurricanes in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft on Saturday.
Not as highly rated as some other draft-eligible defenders heading into the season, Fransen raised his stock in a major way after averaging nearly a point-per-game (20 goals, 44 points in 45 games) in the Swedish U-20 junior league. As those numbers would lead you to believe, Fransen has all sorts of offensive ability. Part of the reason he piles up big point totals is because he essentially plays a "rover" position, constantly joining the rush and trying to generate scoring chances whenever possible. Fransen needs to pick up the physicality and work on his play away from the puck, but he does have a skill set that is typically difficult to acquire at this stage of the draft
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Hurricanes' Nikita Artamonov: Stolen by Canes in Round 2
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Artamonov was the 50th overall pick by the Hurricanes in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft on Saturday.
Scouts flocking to Nizhny Novgorod in Russia this season to see No. 10 overall selection Anton Silayev (New Jersey) got the bonus of checking out Artamonov. The reviews were typically overwhelmingly positive. Artamonov sees the game well and showed he could be an offensive contributor, contributing seven goals and 23 points across 54 games as an 18-year-old. While Artamonov may lack the ideal top-six skill for the NHL, there are no notable weaknesses in his game, and his hockey sense will likely make up for whatever shortcomings exist from a physical standpoint. He looks like an ideal complementary top-nine forward with the slight potential for more.
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Hurricanes' Dominik Badinka: Joins Hurricanes in Round 2
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Badinka was the 34th overall pick by the Hurricanes in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft on Saturday.
A native of Czechia, Badinka has bounced around a lot, spending the 2022-23 campaign in Finland before moving to Sweden this past season. He played 33 games with Malmo's SHL club, posting a goal and four points. The fact that Badinka was cut from the Czechia World Junior team isn't a great sign, but there were still some scouts who had him rated as a fringe first-rounder for this draft. Badinka has displayed an ability to make plays in all three zones despite lacking dynamic qualities. He has more offense to his game than his numbers this past season would lead you to believe. If you squint hard enough, you could envision Badinka as a future No. 4 or No. 5 defender for Carolina if everything breaks correctly.
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Hurricanes' Ty Smith: Agrees to one-year contract
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Smith signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Hurricanes on Friday.
Smith was acquired by Carolina from Pittsburgh on March 7 as part of the trade that sent Jake Guentzel to the Hurricanes. The 24-year-old Smith was set to become a restricted free agent in July after completing a one-year deal. He had nine goals and 43 points in 63 regular-season contests with AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in 2023-24. Smith didn't make an appearance at the top level last season, but he does have eight goals and 47 points in 123 career NHL games.
Chatfield signed a three-year, $9 million contract with the Hurricanes on Thursday, per Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.
Chatfield had eight goals, 22 points, a plus-15 rating, 24 PIM, 58 hits and 66 blocks in 72 regular-season outings with Carolina in 2023-24. The 28-year-old was eligible to become an unrestricted free agent in July after completing his two-year, $1.525 million deal, but he'll stick with the Hurricanes instead. Although he averaged just 14:48 of ice time across his first 48 regular-season appearances in the recent campaign, that ticked up to 17:09 over his latest 37 regular-season and playoff contests. It would not be surprising to see that increased role carry into 2024-25.
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Hurricanes' Ryan Suzuki: Inks two-way deal
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Suzuki signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Hurricanes on Wednesday.
Suzuki was eligible to become a restricted free agent this summer after completing his entry-level contract. He had 14 goals and 30 points in 51 regular-season contests with AHL Springfield in 2023-24. The 23-year-old was selected with the No. 28 overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, but he hasn't made his NHL debut yet.
Hurricanes' Tony DeAngelo: Set for offseason procedure
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DeAngelo will require offseason hand surgery, according to Cory Lavalette of the North State Journal.
DeAngelo is eligible for unrestricted free agency in July after completing a one-year, $1.675 million contract with the Hurricanes. The 28-year-old blueliner generated three goals, 11 points, 44 shots on net and 18 blocked shots in 31 regular-season appearances during the 2023-24 campaign. DeAngelo also contributed two assists, 16 shots on goal, seven blocked shots and eight hits across nine playoff outings.
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Hurricanes' Jesper Fast: Still in neck brace
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Fast (neck) was still wearing a neck brace Saturday while he continues to undergo tests to determine the severity of the injury, Walt Ruff of the Hurricanes' official site reports.
Fast was unavailable during the playoffs after suffering the injury in Carolina's regular-season finale April 16. The 32-year-old winger tallied six goals and 19 points in 73 regular-season games in a bottom-six role. Once the severity of his injury is diagnosed, Fast will focus on getting back to full health ahead of the 2024-25 season.
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Hurricanes' Brett Pesce: Diagnosed with fractured fibula
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Pesce (lower leg) has been dealing with a fractured fibula near his ankle, Chip Alexander of The Raleigh News & Observer reports.
Pesce missed the final nine games of Carolina's postseason run, including the entire second-round series against the Rangers, after suffering the injury in Game 2 of the opening round versus the Islanders. Pesce had three goals, 10 points and a plus-10 rating in 70 regular-season games this year. The 29-year-old blueliner is set to be an unrestricted free agent this offseason -- if healthy, Pesce should be one of the top names available.
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Hurricanes' Dmitry Orlov: Has bad turnover in loss
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Orlov supplied a secondary assist in Thursday's 5-3 loss to the Rangers in Game 6.
Orlov got on the board by helping out on a Martin Necas first-period tally that opened the scoring. It was the fifth time in six games this series that Orlov registered at least one point. The Russian defenseman also had one shot on goal and six blocks with a minus-1 rating in 19:01 of ice time. Unfortunately for the 32-year-old, he had an egregious turnover in which he failed to clear the defensive zone -- it led directly to a New York goal shortly after Carolina garnered a 2-0 lead early in the second period. Orlov finished the postseason with two goals and four assists in 11 contests.
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Hurricanes' Andrei Svechnikov: Supplies two helpers in defeat
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Svechnikov registered two assists in Thursday's 5-3 loss to the Rangers in Game 6.
Svechnikov had a secondary assist on the power play and a primary helper at even strength in Thursday's defeat. The 24-year-old added one shot, one block, four hits and a minus-1 rating in 19:04 of ice time. The Russian forward did have six points in as many games this series, but he found the back of the net only once. He finished the postseason with 11 points in 11 contests. Svechnikov has five years remaining on his current contract heading into the offseason.
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Hurricanes' Sebastian Aho: Two points in loss
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Aho scored a goal and added an assist in Thursday's 5-3 loss to the Rangers in Game 6.
Aho had the primary assist on Seth Jarvis' power-play marker early in the second period. Aho also had an even-strength tally in the middle frame, which was the final goal Carolina scored in the contest. In addition to recording two points, the Finnish center had two shots on net, one block and a minus-2 rating in 18:48 of ice time. After a career high in the regular season with 89 points, the 26-year-old forward finished the postseason with four goals, eight assists and a plus-1 rating in 11 outings.
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Hurricanes' Frederik Andersen: Tough outing to end season
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Andersen made 19 saves on 23 shots in Thursday's 5-3 loss to the Rangers in Game 6.
Carolina had two separate two-goal leads in Thursday's loss, but Andersen and the Hurricanes couldn't keep the door shut. Carolina went up 2-0 early in the second period, but New York answered back less than a minute later after Andersen lost his footing in the crease. New York went on to dominate the third period -- Chris Kreider scored a natural hat trick to complete the comeback for the Rangers. Andersen finished the postseason with a 6-4 record alongside a 2.62 GAA and an .895 save percentage. The 34-year-old veteran has one more year remaining on his current deal before becoming an unrestricted free agent in 2025-26.
Hurricanes' Frederik Andersen: Tending twine in Game 6
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Andersen will guard the home goal versus the Rangers in Thursday's Game 6, Chip Alexander of The Raleigh News & Observer reports.
Andersen has won his last two outings, allowing four goals on 46 shots in those contests. He is 6-3 with a 2.46 GAA and a .902 save percentage over nine playoff outings, and he has yet to lose on home ice this postseason. A win Thursday for Andersen and the Hurricanes would force a Game 7 on Saturday at Madison Square Garden.
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Hurricanes' Brett Pesce: Officially ruled out Thursday
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Pesce (lower body) will not be in the lineup against the Rangers in Game 6 on Thursday, Cory Lavalette of the North State Journal reports.
Pesce got onto the ice for the first time Wednesday, so it shouldn't come as a surprise to see him still being held out for Game 6. Still, the 29-year-old blueliner is making progress and might be in contention to play should the series go to Game 7 on Saturday. Considering Pesce has managed a mere two points in his last 19 outings, his potential return is unlikely to impact the majority of fantasy players.
Kuznetsov potted the game-winning goal in Monday's 4-1 victory over New York in Game 5.
After being a healthy scratch in Game 2 of this series, Kuznetsov has now scored in consecutive contests to help keep Carolina's season alive. The 31-year-old forward drove to the net and buried a rebound off of a shot from Brady Skjei. It was Kuznetsov's fourth goal and sixth point of the postseason in nine outings. Kuznetsov and the Hurricanes will be at home Thursday night for Game 6 against the Rangers in another potential elimination game.
