The Carolina Hurricanes locked in three more pieces for the upcoming season, announcing new deals for Justin Robidas, Cayden Primeau and Skyler Brind’Amour.
Primeau got the biggest commitment of the group: a two-year, one-way contract worth $850K next season and $975K in 2027-28. Robidas and Brind’Amour each signed one-year, two-way deals.
Robidas’ contract carries an $850K NHL cap hit, a $100K AHL salary and a $125K total guarantee. Brind’Amour’s deal is also set at $850K in the NHL, with a $125K AHL salary and a $225K total guarantee.
Primeau is the most established NHL name of the three, and the contract reflects that. The 27-year-old has 58 games of NHL experience split between the Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs. Drafted in the seventh round in 2017, he made his name as one of college hockey’s top goaltenders at Northeastern and has settled into life as a dependable No. 3 goalie.
His NHL numbers haven’t been eye-catching - he owns a career .882 save percentage - but he has become a strong No. 1 option in the AHL. Carolina first acquired Primeau from Montreal for a seventh-round pick last summer, then lost him on season-opening waivers to Toronto.
Toronto later waived him after he put up a .838 save percentage in three NHL appearances, and Carolina claimed him before sending him to the Chicago Wolves.
That move paid off in the minors. Primeau appeared in 39 games for Chicago and went 21-11-7 with a .916 save percentage. He was the Wolves’ top goalie during their run to the Calder Cup Final, finishing with a .913 save percentage in 18 playoff games before Chicago fell to the Toronto Marlies in the championship series.
For next season, Primeau looks set as Carolina’s organizational No. 3 behind Pyotr Kochetkov and fellow waiver claim Brandon Bussi, especially after Bussi went 31-6-2 in his rookie season. That leaves Primeau in line to carry the load for Chicago, with the Wolves also adding 28-year-old Zachary Sawchenko on a two-way deal worth a $190K guarantee to back him up.
There’s also some waiver risk here. Primeau has already been claimed off waivers twice in his career, and his combination of AHL success and NHL experience makes him a candidate for another look from a team in need of goaltending help. Carolina’s answer is the one-way structure and the financial commitment attached to it, which the club is clearly hoping will discourage anyone from making a move.
Robidas and Brind’Amour bring different value, but both have carved out real roles in the organization. Robidas, 23, has become one of the AHL’s more productive scorers, built on speed and nonstop effort. He scored 23 goals and 60 points in 58 games for Chicago last season, and he has three points in four NHL games during call-ups.
The son of former NHL defenseman and current Canadiens assistant coach Stéphane Robidas, he also brings leadership. He captained the Val-d’Or Foreurs for two QMJHL seasons, won a league title and a Memorial Cup, and now serves as an alternate captain in Chicago. His 5’8″ frame makes the NHL jump tougher, but he remains an intriguing option for a team looking for energy in its bottom six.
Brind’Amour, 27, is the final signing, though he actually has the second-most NHL experience in the group. The son of Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour, he is an NCAA National Champion who has steadily raised his game into his late twenties. He managed only eight points in 54 games during his first AHL season, but he has scored 16 goals in back-to-back years and finished 2025-26 with 34 points, which helped him earn call-ups in each of the last two seasons.
At 6’3″ and naturally a center, Brind’Amour looks like a defense-first fourth-line option rather than a player expected to provide much offense. Mark Jankowski Jesperi Kotkaniemi result in a real trade.
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For a team that has built its identity on depth and development, the moves fit the usual pattern: give players who know the organization another chance to earn their place, and keep the pipeline stocked with options. Primeaus path has already included a detour earlier this year, and BrindAmour and Robidas each arrive on two-way contracts that underline how much of this business is still about proving readiness, not just collecting familiar names. [Read more 🡒]
Hurricanes Blue Line Pressure Just Got More Interesting
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His presence matters all the more with restricted free agent Alexander Nikishin still unsigned and his status becoming part of the offseason chatter. Reilly was one of the defensemen Carolina leaned on when injuries and matchup needs forced the group to shift during the spring, and the Hurricanes now have one more layer to their internal competition while the bigger questions on the back end remain unresolved. [Read more 🡒]