Hurricanes General Manager surprises everyone with decision on if he'll buyout a defenseman
The NHLs' second buy out window opened yesterday. This had some wondering if Carolina would take advantage, to buy out the final year of defenceman Jake Gardiner's contract.
Hurricanes GM Don Waddell told Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer that they won't be choosing this option. Gardiner was ruled out for the entirety of the 2021-22 season as a result of the surgeries and was placed on long-term injured reserve. The 31-year-old only played 26 games in the 2020-2021 season due to injuries and recorded eight assists.
Signed to a four-year, $16.2MM contract in 2019, the smooth-skating defenseman will carry a cap hit of $4.05MM next season for the Hurricanes.
With Max Pacioretty set to miss at least the first half of the season due to a torn Achilles, the need to free up short-term cap space isn't as high so Gardiner will now try to earn a spot on Carolina's roster next month in training camp.
| POLL | ||
Where do you see Carolina finishing in 2022-2023? | ||
| Champions of the Metro Division | 23 | 30.3 % |
| Top 3 in the Metro | 25 | 32.9 % |
| Wild Card Spot | 21 | 27.6 % |
| Winning the Presidents' Trophy | 7 | 9.2 % |
| List of polls | ||
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