Hockey·ROUNDUP

Jordan Staal 4-year contract extension with Hurricanes includes full no-move clause

The Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday announced they have signed captain Jordan Staal to four-year contract worth $11.6 million US less than a week before the 35-year-old forward would have become an unrestricted free agent.

Coyotes sign backup goalie Connor Ingram to 3-year deal

Men's hockey player stick checks his opponent during an NHL game.
The Hurricanes on Sunday extended the contract of forward Jordan Staal four years. The 35-year-old would have become an unrestricted free agent next week. (Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

Jordan Staal is staying with the Carolina Hurricanes after signing a four-year contract worth $11.6 million US.

The team announced the deal with their captain on Sunday, less than a week before Staal would have become an unrestricted free agent.

He's not going anywhere, sticking around to try to help the team win the Stanley Cup. And Staal is doing so on an annual salary cap hit of $2.9 million through the 2026-27 NHL season that's a bargain for a player considered one of the best defensive forwards in hockey.

"I'm ready to grind. I'm ready to play," Staal told reporters in a conference call. "I feel really good about my game and feel like I can help the team for the rest of this contract. I'm going to do my best to my abilities.

"If it doesn't work out, it doesn't work out. But I believe I can do it. So I'm excited about the deal and where this team is headed, the direction, and I'm just happy to be a part of it."

General manager Don Waddell said Staal embodies what it means to play for the Hurricanes.

"His leadership has been an integral part of our success, and the impact he has made on our organization cannot be overstated," Waddell said in a statement. "We could not be more excited to sign him for four more years."

Staal's new contract carries a full no-movement clause for the first three years and a full no-trade clause for the final season. That gives the soon-to-be 35-year-old total control of where he plays.

That might wind up being Raleigh for the rest of his career. The Thunder Bay, Ont., native who won the Cup with Pittsburgh in 2009 has been with Carolina for a decade and worn the "C" for the organization since 2019.

Staal, along with head coach Rod Brind'Amour and the team's young core, has led the Hurricanes to the playoffs each of the past five seasons.

Coyotes re-sign goalie Ingram

The Arizona Coyotes have signed backup goalie Connor Ingram to a three-year contract, the team announced Sunday.

The 26-year-old led the Coyotes with a 3.37 goals against average and a .907 save percentage last season. He had a 6-13-8 record in 27 games. Ingram made 47 saves in a shutout of Tampa Bay on Feb. 15, the most in NHL history by a goalie in his first career shutout.

Financial terms weren't disclosed.

"We are very pleased to sign Connor to an extension," Coyotes general manager Bill Armstrong said in a statement. "Connor is a good young goaltender who played well for us last season. He and Karel Vejmelka provided us with a strong goaltending tandem. We look forward to having him back between the pipes."

Ingram was drafted by Tampa Bay in the third round in 2016. The Coyotes claimed him off waivers last year.

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