Hurricanes sign Juha Jaaska to two-year contract extension

Carolina Hurricanes general manager Eric Tulsky announced on Thursday that the team has agreed to terms on a two-year contract extension with forward Juha Jaaska.

Jaaska, a 27-year-old forward, made his NHL debut with Carolina this past season in his first year playing in North America.

“Juha had a strong season making the transition to hockey in North America and proved he could be an effective player on the NHL level,” Tulsky said via the team’s press release.

The two-year pact is a two-way deal this upcoming season that converts to a one-way contract in 2026-2027. Jaaska will make a minimum of at least $425,000 next year and will make $775,000 on the one-way deal the following season.

Jaaska skated in 18 games with Carolina at the NHL level, putting up four assists and taking nine penalty minutes, including a fighting major.

As a key contributor at the AHL level with the Chicago Wolves, Jaaska provided strong two-way play and put up 12 goals, 21 assists and 33 points in his 53 regular season games.

The move provides the Hurricanes with additional forward depth and locks in a key member of their AHL team.

One of the biggest teams to watch this offseason, Carolina has $26.7 million in salary cap space according to PuckPedia with 13 forwards, 6 defensemen and two goaltenders already signed to NHL contracts.

Unless deals come together between now and July 1, pending unrestricted free agents Brent Burns, Dmitry Orlov, Jack Roslovic and Tyson Jost are set to hit the open market.

Tulsky has already inked deals with Taylor Hall, Eric Robinson and Frederik Andersen to keep them on the roster despite having expiring contracts.

In the coming weeks, the Hurricanes will look to weaponize their ample cap space and excess draft capital to add to a roster that has made two of the last three Eastern Conference Finals.