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The Carolina Hurricanes have assigned Marcus Kruger and Josh Jooris to the Charlotte Checkers. The two forwards were placed on waivers on Thursday and went unclaimed.
Kruger was acquired via trade from the Vegas Golden Knights on July 4. He logged six points in 48 games prior to getting waived. According to CapFriendly, sending the former Blackhawk to the AHL reduces his cap hit by 33%. Though, that doesn’t factor in too much given Carolina’s near league-high cap room.
By burying Krüger in the minors, his $3,083,333 cap hit is reduced by $1.025M for a buried cap hit of $2,058,333 https://t.co/fJV3KaKiV5
— CapFriendly (@CapFriendly) February 9, 2018
Jooris was a July 1 free agent signing. He had six points in 30 games, serving as a depth forward for the club prior to being waived.
The transactions reduce the Hurricanes’ roster size from 23 to 21, thus opening two spots for the team to use as they see fit. While no further roster moves have been announced, general manager Ron Francis said on Thursday that the team may give some players in Charlotte a look at the NHL level.
Here’s the team’s official news release:
RALEIGH, NC - Ron Francis, Executive Vice President and General Manager of the National Hockey League’s Carolina Hurricanes, today announced that the team has assigned forwards Josh Jooris and Marcus Kruger to the American Hockey League’s (AHL) Charlotte Checkers.
Jooris, 27, registered six points (3g, 3a) in 30 games with the Hurricanes this season. The 6’1”, 187-pound right wing made his Hurricanes debut on Oct. 17 at Edmonton and scored his first Hurricanes goals with two goals at Toronto on Oct. 26. Jooris has earned 55 points (23g, 32a) in 203 career NHL games with Calgary, NY Rangers, Arizona and Carolina. In addition, Jooris has recorded 27 points (11g, 16a) in 75 career AHL games with Abbotsford and Adirondack.
Kruger, 27, tallied six points (1g, 5a) in 48 games with Carolina this season. The 6’0”, 186-pound center earned his first Hurricanes point with an assist in his Hurricanes debut on Oct. 7 against Minnesota. Kruger has registered 111 points (34g, 77a) in 446 career NHL games with Chicago and Carolina. Kruger appeared in 34 AHL games with Rockford during the 2012-13 season and recorded 22 points (8g, 14a).