Hurricanes Sign Trevor van Riemsdyk to Two-Year Contract Extension

It was announced Thursday evening that restricted free agent Trevor van Riemsdyk had elected for arbitration, but that only lasted for about 45 minutes.

The Carolina Hurricanes and van Riemsdyk have agreed to terms on a two-year contract extension worth a total of $4.6 million. He will get $2.1 million in 2018-19 and $2.5 million in 2019-20.

The 26-year-old right-handed defenseman skated in 76 games for the Hurricanes last season and only missed time due to an early-season concussion. He tallied three goals and 16 points as a steady presence on the team’s third defensive pairing. In 237 career NHL games, he has 47 points with a plus/minus of +21.

“Trevor was a steady presence on our blue line last season,” said general manager Don Waddell in a statement on Thursday. ”He’s shown progression each year of his NHL career, and is a well-liked player in our locker room.”

With the official re-signing of van Riemsdyk, combined with the acquisitions Dougie Hamilton and Calvin de Haan, it now seems inevitable that the Hurricanes are going to trade Justin Faulk. Faulk has two years remaining on his contract and has been in the middle of a growing number of trade rumors over the past few weeks.

The official press release from the Hurricanes is below:

Don Waddell, President and General Manager of the National Hockey League’s Carolina Hurricanes, today announced that the team has agreed to terms with defenseman Trevor van Riemsdykon a two-year, $4.6 million contract. The deal will pay van Riemsdyk $2.1 million in 2018-19 and $2.5 million in 2019-20.

”Trevor was a steady presence on our blue line last season,” said Waddell. ”He’s shown progression each year of his NHL career, and is a well-liked player in our locker room.”

During his fourth NHL season in 2017-18, van Riemsdyk led all Hurricanes skaters in plus/minus (+9) and ranked second among Carolina blueliners in blocked shots (113). The Middletown, NJ, native established a new career high in assists (13) and matched his career high in points (16). He was acquired by the Hurricanes from the Vegas Golden Knights on June 22, 2017, one day after being selected by the Golden Knights in the 2017 Expansion Draft. The 6’2”, 188-pound defenseman made his Hurricanes debut on Oct. 7, 2017 and played his 200th career NHL game on Jan. 14.

Originally signed by the Chicago Blackhawks as an undrafted free agent out of the University of New Hampshire in 2014, van Riemsdyk has totaled 47 points (11g, 36a) and 82 penalty minutes in 237 career NHL games with Chicago and Carolina. He has one goal in 15 career playoff games and was a member of the Blackhawks’ Stanley Cup Championship team in 2015.