Heimosalmi agreed to terms on a one-year, two-way contract with the Hurricanes on Thursday.
Heimosalmi spent the last two seasons playing in the minors with AHL Chicago, racking up 31 points in 108 combined regular-season games. Given his offensive limitations, even if the 23-year-old blueliner does get called up at some point, he is unlikely to offer much in the way of fantasy upside.
Sawchenko signed a one-year, two-way contract with Carolina on Saturday.
Sawchenko posted a 14-10-3 record with a 3.05 GAA and an .880 save percentage across 29 regular-season appearances with AHL Cleveland in 2025-26. He will provide the Hurricanes with some organizational depth between the pipes, but he will probably begin the 2026-27 campaign with AHL Chicago.
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Hurricanes' John Carlson: Rights acquired in trade
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Carolina acquired Carlson from Anaheim on Saturday in exchange for Kyle Masters and pick No. 192 in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft.
Carlson is eligible for unrestricted free agency Wednesday, which doesn't give the Hurricanes much of an exclusive negotiating window. He compiled 14 goals and 60 points in 71 regular-season games between Anaheim and Washington in 2025-26. He also earned six assists in 12 outings for the Ducks during the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Berchild was the 105th overall pick by Carolina in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft on Saturday.
Berchild was one of the better draft prospects in what is another down year for the US NTDP. He brings plenty of versatility to the table with the ability to play both center and wing. He is only 5-foot-10 and 180 pounds, but he plays big. He is constantly competing and working to generate offense. The good news is that he's off to a University of Denver program that just won the National Championship. Berchild should get a boost under the tutelage of David Carle in the coming years.
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Hurricanes' Zach Lansard: Links up with Carolina in Round 3
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Lansard was the 68th overall pick by Carolina in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft on Saturday.
The Hurricanes continue their trend of drafting fast and skilled forwards. Lansard appeared in 68 games for WHL Regina this past season, posting 24 goals and 56 points. He would have posted better numbers had he not been on a poor Pats team. Lansard is always involved in the play, causing havoc and making intelligent reads in all three zones. As a late July birthday, he has more runway to work with than most of the other players in the draft. He's a candidate to take a significant step forward in 2026-27.
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Hurricanes' Wiggo Sorensson: Swede joins champs in Round 2
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Sorensson was the 61st overall pick by Carolina in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft on Saturday.
The Hurricanes, as has been the case for years, search for upside every single time they're on the clock. Thus, it should come as no surprise they landed on Sorensson late in Round 2. An undersized (5-foot-11, 180 pounds) forward with elite speed, the Swede also has versatility on his side, having displayed the ability to play both center and wing. Given how effective Carolina has been in recent years at developing diminutive forwards, this is the ideal landing spot for Sorensson.
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Hurricanes' William Hakansson: Hulking defender joins Carolina
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Hakansson was the 51st overall pick by Carolina in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft on Saturday.
The appeal regarding Hakansson is obvious, given that he's already 6-foot-4, 210 pounds at age 18. He played a ton of hockey this past season, spending time in the Swedish Jr. league, second-tier Allsvenskan, SHL and competing for his native country at the World Juniors. Not only is Hakansson huge, but he's physical. His puck skills are lacking, and that figures to limit his ceiling down the road, but if you're looking for a hulking, tough, stay-at-home rearguard who can kill penalties and eat heavy defensive minutes, this is your guy.
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Hurricanes' Eric Robinson: Undergoes knee procedure
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Robinson underwent a knee surgery and will be out for 6-8 weeks, Cory Lavalette of the North State Journal reports Friday.
Robinson's recovery timeline should have him available for the start of the regular season, but his offseason training will be impacted. That could lead to him seeing less usage in preseason play. Assuming he's healthy in time, he should fill a bottom-six role to start the 2026-27 campaign.
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Hurricanes' Seth Jarvis: Out 4-6 months after surgery
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Jarvis underwent shoulder surgery and will be out 4-6 months, Chip Alexander of The Raleigh News & Observer reports Friday.
Even on the short end of the recovery timeline, Jarvis would miss about a month of the regular season. The 24-year-old could be out until the middle of 2026-27 in a worst-case scenario. He had 32 goals, 34 assists and 224 shots on net over 71 regular-season outings last year but was limited to 11 points in 19 playoff contests for the eventual champions. Jarvis' absence could open the door for Jackson Blake to see a more significant role early in the year, and the Hurricanes will likely need to lean on a prospect or two to fill out the roster depending on how they fill out the team in free agency.
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Hurricanes' Juuso Valimaki: Back with Carolina
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Valimaki signed a one-year, $900,000 contract with the Hurricanes on Wednesday.
Valimaki signed a two-year deal in the SHL on Tuesday, but it appears the Hurricanes were able to lure him back to North America. He had 23 points in 27 AHL regular-season games as well as 14 points in 21 playoff outings. Valimaki could be some experienced insurance on the blue line after reports emerged Wednesday that the Hurricanes might dangle Alexander Nikishin on the trade market. That said, Valimaki would likely spend at least part of 2026-27 in the AHL again, which would require him to pass through waivers.
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Hurricanes' Nicolas Deslauriers: Lands extension with champs
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Deslauriers signed a two-year, $1.75 million contract extension with the Hurricanes on Saturday, per Walt Ruff of the Hurricanes' official site.
General Manager Eric Tulsky announced Deslauriers' extension in style during the Hurricanes' championship celebration. Deslauriers appeared in just one game during Carolina's run to winning the Stanley Cup. The 35-year-old winger brought plenty of physicality during the regular season, as he dished out 35 hits and added an assist across seven outings after being acquired from Philadelphia. He'll likely be in the mix to play on the fourth line in the 2026-27 campaign, which gives him upside in fantasy formats that place a premium on banger stats.
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Hurricanes' Felix Unger Sorum: Collects three points in loss
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Sorum scored twice and added an assist in AHL Chicago's 4-3 loss to Toronto in Game 5 of the Calder Cup Finals on Friday.
Unger Sorum totaled five goals and seven assists over 14 playoff outings. He missed some time in the later rounds due to injuries, but he was productive when healthy. The 20-year-old had a 66-point regular season for the Wolves, so he should get some looks with the Hurricanes in 2026-27.
Hurricanes' Jordan Staal: Named Conn Smythe winner
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Staal was named the Conn Smythe winner after Sunday's 3-0 win over the Golden Knights in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals.
Staal was tied for 22nd in points (12) during the playoffs, but he tied for fifth in goals (eight) thanks to an impressive five-game goal streak to start the Cup Finals. He didn't score in the clincher, but Staal did enough earlier in the series to sway the voters away from Vegas' playoff points leader Mitch Marner or any of the Hurricanes' other top forwards. At 37 years and 277 days old, Staal is the oldest Conn Smythe winner in NHL history. He is under contract with the Hurricanes for one more season.
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Hurricanes' Nikolaj Ehlers: Pots empty-netter in Game 6 win
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Ehlers scored an empty-net goal on three shots in Sunday's 3-0 win over the Golden Knights in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals.
It's not every year that a big splash in free agency pays off, but Ehlers brought everything the Hurricanes could have asked for. His tally to seal the championship was his eighth goal of the playoffs, and he added 10 assists, 39 shots, 14 hits and a plus-9 rating over 18 appearances. He also had a 26-goal, 71-point effort -- a career-best year -- during the regular season. This was just the first campaign of a six-year deal, so expect Ehlers to be an early-round pick in fantasy drafts in the fall.
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Hurricanes' Taylor Hall: Tallies Cup-clinching goal
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Hall scored a goal on two shots and went plus-2 in Sunday's 3-0 win over the Golden Knights in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals.
Vegas bungled a zone entry, and Hall took a pass from Jaccob Slavin to get behind the defense. Hall made no mistake on the shot, and his goal at 3:47 of the first period was the game-winner in the Hurricanes' Cup-clinching victory. The 34-year-old had a stellar postseason with seven goals, 12 assists, 55 shots on net, 24 hits, 14 PIM, 13 blocked shots and a plus-14 rating over 19 appearances. Hall signed a three-year contract extension in April of 2025, so he figures to continue to be a part of the Hurricanes' middle six in 2026-27.
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Hurricanes' Jackson Blake: Two points in Cup clincher
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Blake scored a goal on three shots, dished an assist, added two PIM, blocked two shots and went plus-2 in Sunday's 3-0 win over the Golden Knights in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals.
Blake had five points over six games versus Vegas in the Cup Finals. The 22-year-old winger made a name for himself in the postseason with six goals, 14 assists, 43 shots on net, 18 hits, 14 blocked shots, 24 PIM and a plus-8 rating over 19 appearances. Blake has already established himself as a reliable scoring winger, and he should be part of the Hurricanes' core for years to come.
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Hurricanes' Brandon Bussi: Clinches Stanley Cup with shutout
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Bussi posted a 22-save shutout in Sunday's 3-0 win over the Golden Knights in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals.
Bussi won the last three games of the series to finish what Frederik Andersen started. The Hurricanes' defense did its part, and Bussi handled the rest to post his first career playoff shutout in the biggest game of his life. He allowed just six goals on 87 shots (.931 save percentage) over his four playoff appearances to help the Hurricanes win the Stanley Cup. After signing a three-year contract extension in February, Bussi is a virtual lock to open 2026-27 on the Hurricanes' NHL roster.
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