Darren Dreger of TSN is reporting on Twitter that the Carolina Hurricanes have signed defenseman Tomas Kaberle to a three year deal for a total of $12.75 million. Just last season, Kaberle was the prize of the free agent deadline sweepstakes and the former Leaf helped the Boston Bruins win the Stanley Cup.
Kaberle's last contract was in 2006 with Toronto for 5 years and also $4.25 million per season.
The Hurricanes have confirmed the deal and the team's press release follows.
((UPDATE)) Also just announced, Joe Corvo was traded to Boston Bruins for a fourth round pick. Now posted in it's own article)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – July 5, 2011
HURRICANES AGREE TO TERMS WITH TOMAS KABERLE
Defenseman won Stanley Cup with Boston in 2011
RALEIGH, NC – Jim Rutherford, President and General Manager of the National Hockey League’s Carolina Hurricanes, today announced that the team has agreed to terms on a three-year contract with defenseman Tomas Kaberle. The deal will pay Kaberle an average of $4.25 million per season.
“Tomas is one of the top puck-moving defensemen in the NHL and power-play specialist,” said Rutherford. “He has had a good career and is now a Stanley Cup champion. We welcome him to Carolina and look forward to his contributions to the Hurricanes.”
Kaberle, 33, split the 2010-11 regular season between Toronto and Boston after a trade-deadline deal that sent him to the Bruins. The Rakovnik, Czech Republic, native notched four goals, earned 43 assists (47 points) and averaged 22:06 of ice time in a combined 82 regular-season games between the Maple Leafs and the Bruins. His 25 power-play assists ranked fifth among all NHL skaters, and his total of 43 assists ranked fifth among NHL defensemen. In the postseason, Kaberle (6’1”, 214 lbs.) played in all 25 of Boston’s games en route to the Stanley Cup championship, earning a team second-best 11 assists and finishing second among NHL defenseman in assists. He led Bruins skaters and ranked fifth among league defensemen with five power-play assists, and his plus-8 plus/minus rating in the playoffs was fifth among all defensemen.
The 2010-11 season marked Kaberle’s 12th in the NHL. Since beginning his NHL career in 1998-99, he has scored 84 goals, earned 445 assists (529 points) and compiled a plus-31 plus/minus rating in 902 regular-season games with Toronto and Boston. Of his 445 career assists, 235 have come on the power play. Kaberle ranks second in assists (437) and points (520) by a defenseman in Maple Leafs history, and is third all time among Toronto defensemen with 878 games played. The Maple Leafs selected Kaberle in the eighth round, 204th overall, in the 1996 NHL Entry Draft.
The Carolina Hurricanes will open their 2011 exhibition schedule on Sept. 19 at Buffalo. For information on 2011-12 Carolina Hurricanes ticket packages, please visit www.CarolinaHurricanes.com, or call 1-866-NHL-CANES.