The Carolina Hurricanes got a little bit of business done on Monday, and it touched both ends of the organization.
One move kept a key piece in place for the Chicago Wolves. The other brought in a player whose best work may still be ahead of him.
For the Wolves, the headline is Josiah Slavin staying put. Chicago announced an extension for its captain on Monday, locking him in for two more seasons.
After all the roster turnover the Wolves have dealt with this offseason, that’s a meaningful win. Slavin has worn the “C” for a reason, and there’s little reason to think that changes anytime soon.
He has spent the last two seasons with Chicago after bouncing around the AHL earlier in his career. Last season, he put up 25 points in 69 regular-season games and added seven more during the Wolves’ run to the Calder Cup Final. He also got a brief look with the Hurricanes, making his NHL debut at the end of the season and appearing in the first two games of the team’s season-ending four-game road trip.
There is one important wrinkle here: Slavin did not receive a qualifying offer from Carolina before free agency opened, and the contract he signed is exclusive to the Wolves. That means the Hurricanes cannot call him up under this deal.
If he’s going to get back to the NHL, he would need a separate NHL contract. For now, though, Chicago keeps one of its most valuable voices and a steady presence up front.
Carolina also made a smaller move with a possible longer-term payoff, sending future considerations to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for the signing rights to Russian forward Stiven Sardarian.
Sardarian’s path has taken him from Russia’s youth competition to North America, where Buffalo selected him 88th overall in 2021. He spent a season in the USHL with Youngstown before heading to the University of New Hampshire. His numbers there were modest - nine goals and 21 points in 61 games over two years - but his production jumped once he transferred to Michigan Tech.
At Michigan Tech in 2024-25, Sardarian led the team with 35 points, topping what he had done in the previous two seasons combined. He followed that with another strong year, leading the team again with 44 points and earning Forward of the Year honors in the CCHA. Buffalo never signed him to an entry-level contract, but that could be changing soon.
He has now been assigned to the Wolves, according to the team’s official release, which gives both Carolina and Chicago something to watch. Sardarian has a shot worth respecting, but his real calling card is playmaking - he finished in the NCAA’s top five in assists last season with 32. That’s the kind of skill set that can translate in a hurry if everything clicks.
In Other News...
Hurricanes Quietly Added A College Standout With One Big Step Left
The Hurricanes have added another name to the prospect mix, landing the signing rights to forward Stiven Sardarian from Buffalo in a move that flew a bit under the radar. Sardarian, 23, had been stuck in contractual limbo after not signing an entry-level deal with the Sabres, with NCAA eligibility and NHL Central Registry notification issues complicating the situation.
For Carolina, the appeal is straightforward: a college standout becomes a potential pro option without much public noise around the transaction. The next step is the one that matters, since the organization is now positioned to bring Sardarian into the fold on a professional deal and see where he fits in the system. [Read more 🡒]
Hurricanes Face A Blue-Line Problem They Cant Easily Fix
The Hurricanes are heading into the offseason with one of their more important blue-line questions still unresolved, and it is a big one. Alexander Nikishin gave Carolina exactly the kind of two-way punch it was hoping for during the regular season, piling up 33 points while also driving strong defensive results, but his playoff run was a quieter version of that impact. For a team built around control and depth, losing that blend of offense and stability would leave a noticeable hole.
Carolina is already having to think through what comes next if the roster does not include Nikishin, and there are not many easy answers. Shayne Gostisbehere can help absorb some of the puck-moving load, while the organization may also need to look at AHL depth to patch the rest of the picture. The challenge is less about finding a single replacement than finding enough coverage for a role that was doing a lot of different things at once. [Read more 🡒]
Josiah Slavins Return Keeps Carolina Depth In A Tough Spot
Josiah Slavin is heading back to a familiar role with the Chicago Wolves, where he will serve as captain after signing a two-year AHL contract. For Carolina, it is another reminder of how much value the organization places on having reliable depth close to home, especially with a player who already spent time in the system and even earned an NHL call-up with the Hurricanes last season.
The wrinkle is in the contract itself, which does not leave room for an NHL recall unless Carolina signs him to an NHL deal during the 2026-27 season. That makes Slavins return useful for the Wolves and a little less flexible for the Hurricanes, who now have one more layer to sort through as they keep building out their organizational depth. [Read more 🡒]