Hurricanes ink Stastny to 1-year, $1.5M deal

The Carolina Hurricanes signed veteran center Paul Stastny to a one-year, $1.5-million contract Tuesday.

"Paul is an extremely reliable veteran who has been effective at both ends of the ice for his entire career," said general manager Don Waddell. "He adds even more experience and leadership to our forward group, and we are excited to have him in Carolina."

The Hurricanes were in the market for depth down the middle after losing Vincent Trocheck to the New York Rangers earlier in the free-agent window.

Stastny spent the last two seasons with the Winnipeg Jets. He's also had stops with the Vegas Golden Knights, St. Louis Blues, and Colorado Avalanche throughout his 16-year career.

Last season, Stastny registered 45 points in 71 games while averaging nearly 18 minutes per night and winning an impressive 56.6% of his faceoffs.

The 36-year-old has 800 points in 1,072 career games. Colorado drafted him 44th overall in 2005.