Carolina Hurricanes Re-Sign Three Players – Pro Hockey Rumors
The Carolina Hurricanes announced today that the team has re-signed three players for the upcoming season: Justin Robidas, Cayden Primeau, and Skyler Brind’Amour.
Per the team release, Primeau signed a two-year, one-way deal, while Robidas and Brind’Amour each signed one-year, two-way contracts. Primeau’s deal is worth $850K for the upcoming season and $975K for 2027-28. Robidas’ deal carries an $850K NHL cap hit, $100K AHL salary, and $125K total guarantee. Brind’Amour’s is also worth $850K in the NHL, but has a salary of $125K in the AHL and a total guarantee of $225K.
The player with the most NHL experience of this group is Primeau, which makes his comparatively larger contract compared to the two other signings no real surprise. The 27-year-old has 58 NHL games on his resume playing for two NHL teams, the Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs. The 2017 seventh-rounder was one of the best goalies in college hockey during his days with Northeastern University, and has since become a reliable No. 3 goaltender.
Although Primeau has not been hugely effective in the NHL, posting a career .882 save percentage, he has developed into a high-end No. 1 goalie in the AHL. The Hurricanes originally acquired Primeau from Montreal for a seventh-round pick last summer, but lost him on season-opening waivers to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Toronto waived Primeau after he posted a .838 save percentage in three NHL games, and he was claimed by Carolina and reassigned to their AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves.
Primeau played in 39 games for Chicago, going 21-11-7 with a .916 save percentage. He was the team’s top goalie as they made a run to the Calder Cup Final, posting a .913 save percentage in 18 games before the Wolves fell in the final to the Toronto Marlies.
Looking ahead to next season, Primeau seems firmly entrenched as Carolina’s organizational No. 3. He’s unlikely to displace Pyotr Kochetkov or fellow waiver claim Brandon Bussi, especially the latter after he went 31-6-2 in his rookie campaign.
Instead, Primeau will be leaned on as the top goalie for the Wolves. Chicago ran with a trio of inexperienced backup goalies behind Primeau in 2025-26, but are not taking the same approach this season. Carolina signed 28-year-old Zachary Sawchenko to a two-way deal with a $190K guarantee, ostensibly to serve as Primeau’s backup.
Given his qualities as a strong AHL goalie with legitimate NHL experience, Primeau is a risk to be claimed on waivers by any team seeking additional help in net. The fact that he has already been claimed off of waivers twice in his career supports that conclusion. The Hurricanes are likely hoping that the level of financial commitment they’ve made to Primeau today (a two-year term with hefty one-way salaries) will serve as sufficient deterrence to any team considering putting in a claim and disrupting the team’s goalie depth chart.
The other two players signed today don’t have as much NHL experience as Primeau, but are nonetheless notable players. Robidas, 23, has developed into one of the AHL’s more valuable scorers with a game built around breakneck speed and relentless competitiveness. The son of former NHL defenseman and current Canadiens assistant coach Stéphane Robidas, Robidas scored 23 goals and 60 points in 58 games for the Wolves last season.
He has three points in his four games worth of NHL call-ups, and brings legitimate value as a leader. He served as captain for two QMJHL seasons with the Val-d’Or Foreurs, winning a league title and Memorial Cup. He’s since become an alternate captain in Chicago, alongside being one of their top scorers. While his 5’8″ frame makes NHL translatability a challenge, Robidas would be an intriguing waiver claim possibility for any team looking to add a spark to its bottom-six.
Brind’Amour, 27, is the final player of the three to be re-signed today but has the second-most NHL experience. The son of Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour, Brind’Amour is an NCAA National Champion who has developed at a faster pace as he’s progressed into his late twenties. In his rookie AHL campaign, Brind’Amour was only able to produce eight points in 54 games. He’s since scored 16 goals in back-to-back seasons and finished 2025-26 with a healthy 34 points. That’s helped him earn call-ups in each of the last two years.
A 6’3″ natural center, Brind’Amour doesn’t project as more than a defensive specialist fourth-line center. Mark Jankowski figures to have that role locked down for the Hurricanes entering the season. But now that he’s been re-signed for another year, Brind’Amour could be an option to fill that role at some point down the line, especially if persistent trade rumors surrounding Jesperi Kotkaniemi result in a real trade.
Photos courtesy of Gerry Angus-Imagn Images
