The long awaited answer to what the Hurricanes’ expansion draft plan will be in regards to exposing defensemen has seemingly been answered.
The club announced on Friday that defenseman Klas Dahlbeck has been signed to a one-year, one-way deal worth $850,000.
Dahlbeck played more and more as the season progressed and turned into a staple on the club’s third defensive pairing in the second half of the season.
The Swedish defenseman will turn 26 in early July.
The deal means that the Canes will assuredly expose Dahlbeck in June’s expansion draft, but it appears unlikely that the Vegas Golden Knights would select him as their player from Carolina’s roster.
If Vegas does not pick Dahlbeck, he will return to the team to play out his contract, which is far from a bad thing. He got better as the season went on and his physicality makes him a good change of pace defenseman in a seventh-man role.
The official news release from the team is below.
Ron Francis, Executive Vice President and General Manager of the National Hockey League's Carolina Hurricanes, today announced that the team has agreed to terms with defenseman Klas Dahlbeck (KLAHS DAHL-behk) on a one-year contract. The deal will pay Dahlbeck $850,000 for the 2017-18 season.
Dahlbeck, 25, skated in 43 games with the Hurricanes in 2016-17, scoring two goals and earning four assists (6 points), while averaging 13:53 of ice time per game. The Katrineholm, Sweden, native also played in six games with the American Hockey League's (AHL) Charlotte Checkers last season during a December conditioning stint. Dahlbeck (6'3", 207 lbs.) has played in 137 career NHL games with Chicago, Arizona and Carolina since making his NHL debut with the Blackhawks on Dec. 6, 2014. Dahlbeck was drafted by Chicago in the third round, 79th overall, of the 2011 NHL Draft, and the Hurricanes claimed him on waivers from Arizona on Oct. 11, 2016.