(Raleigh) The Carolina Hurricanes spent the offseason looking for offensive reinforcements.
Updated yesterday at 5:10 p.m.
After getting a natural scorer and then losing him for potentially half the season to injury, they went for his good friend, who also knows how to score in a different way.
The Hurricanes signed forward Paul Stastny to a one-year, $1.5 million contract on Tuesday. His acquisition adds depth to the offense of a team that hopes to challenge for the Stanley Cup next winter.
The depth of the Hurricanes had been weakened by the loss of Max Pacioretty, who is expected to miss six months with an Achilles tendon injury. And even though Stastny is far from being the type of player Pacioretty is, the 36-year-old Quebec native also hopes to contribute to the Hurricanes’ playoff success.
“We’re different on and off the ice,” said Stastny, who scored 21 goals last season. I always try to get the puck to the net, find the right time to do it. If you look at my career goals, I’m sure most of them were when I was three or four feet from goal. You must go to this location to score. »
The Hurricanes have enough nimble and talented players with Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov as elite talents. Still, they averaged less than three goals per game in the playoffs, which led to a second-round elimination last spring.
Stastny has already proven his scoring skills and he is a complete player. Like his younger teammates, he never won the Stanley Cup and says he turned down other offers to join the Hurricanes.
“My wife and I always wanted to have a chance to win,” Stastny said. It came late in my career. I was lucky to play for good teams and come close, but you realize how hard it is to win. Maybe that will never happen. It’s correct. As long as you give yourself a chance, play on a good team, knock on doors and contribute to the team’s success, I think the risk is worth it. »
With 21 goals in 71 games with the Winnipeg Jets last winter, Stastny had his most productive campaign in a long time. He noted that he changed his diet and training program.
He will serve as an insurance policy at center for the Hurricanes, who lost the services of Vincent Trocheck to the New York Rangers through the free agent market.
“Paul is a very reliable veteran who has been effective at both ends of the ice throughout his career,” Hurricanes general manager Don Waddell said in a statement. He adds experience and leadership to our attacking group and we are happy to have him. »
Stastny has 284 goals and 516 assists in 1,072 NHL games with the Colorado Avalanche, St. Louis Blues, Jets and Vegas Golden Knights. He reached the 40-point plateau in 12 of his 16 seasons on the Bettman League.
2005 Avalanche second-round pick, 44e in total, Stastny also helped the United States win silver at the Vancouver Olympics in 2010 and bronze at the World Hockey Championship in 2013.
The Hurricanes were active in the offseason, also acquiring offensive defenseman Brent Burns from the San Jose Sharks.