We’re officially eight days away from the start of the re-sign and free agency period of the offseason in the NHL. All eyes are still on Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, followed by the NHL Draft on June 28-29 in Las Vegas. The Carolina Hurricanes have many question marks regarding the roster and how it’ll be constructed for the start of the 2024-25 season in the fall. However, the Hurricanes on June 21 did re-sign Ty Smith to a one-year, two-way deal after acquiring him as part of the Jake Guentzel deal on March 7. Over the last few weeks, the news has mainly been about what the team will do with restricted free agent (RFA) Martin Necas and whether they will extend or trade him.
Related: Ty Smith Can Be a Wild-Card for the Hurricanes Defense
While that transpires, general manager Eric Tulsky mentioned on the Wednesday, June 19 edition of the Jeff Mark Show that the team is busy talking to their players who are RFAs and unrestricted free agents (UFA). In the show, Tulsky mentioned that the team has been busy talking to all agents simultaneously since they have so many contracts to deal with. One of those players who should hopefully be coming back to the Hurricanes for the 2024-25 season is Jack Drury.
Bringing Back Jack Drury
Drury is coming off his first full season for the Hurricanes after tallying eight goals, 19 assists, and 27 points in 74 games in the 2023-24 season. Furthermore, he set career highs in the postseason with one goal, four assists, and five points in 11 playoff games. It was the first time since joining Carolina that Drury was given an entire season to prove his worth, even if he was mainly on the fourth line during the regular season. What holds him back is that the team is so deep, especially at center. However, he was slotted up to the second-line center position during the playoffs, where he contributed in a new role on the fly. Got to give credit to the 24-year-old Winnetka, Illinois native for making the most of the opportunity that was given to him.
The former 42nd overall pick of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft showed why the Hurricanes selected him where they did. Plus, he brings a winning mentality that he gained when he won the 2022 Calder Cup with the Chicago Wolves. During the 2021-22 season with the Wolves, Drury had 20 goals and 52 points in 68 regular season games. He carried that momentum by posting nine goals and 24 points in 18 playoff games for Chicago en route to the title. He is no stranger when it comes to…
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