Haydn Fleury and the Carolina Hurricanes have reached a contract agreement. The two parties were scheduled for arbitration in early November, but that has resolved itself. Fleury’s new contract is a two-year deal with an average annual value of $1.3 million. The contract carries him through the 2021-22 season.
The #Canes have signed Haydn Fleury to a two-year deal!
Details » https://t.co/dnBZgYp5n1 pic.twitter.com/kBsRlPRRK2
— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) October 28, 2020
Hurricanes Sign Haydn Fleury
Fleury was a fine depth contributor in 2019-20. He scored a career-high four goals and 14 points in 45 games. That translates to a scoring rate of .31 per game, which is the best in Fleury’s three seasons. He only averaged 13:40 per game, but many of his numbers were encouraging. The traditional stats improved and Fluery’s 53.3 percent Corsi For reflect a player capable of maintaining possession.
The Hurricanes originally selected Fleury in the first round of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft but he didn’t debut until 2017-18. The 6’3″, 221-pound defenders first season saw him post eight assists in 67 games along with 85 hits and 94 blocks. His playing time diminished to just 20 games in 2018-19 but last year saw the surge in production. Fleury’s numbers don’t leap off of the page, but 2019-20 seems like a potential stepping stone to bigger things. At the very least, his size allows him to be an aggressive checking option and key penalty-killer. The Hurricanes have brought him along slowly. 2020-21 might be a key year for the 24-year-old.
What This Means for the Future
Fleury has a very real chance to be one of Carolina’s regular defenders in 2020-21. There is an opening on the team’s second or third-pairing now that Joel Edmundson and Trevor van Riemsdyk are gone. The biggest obstacle to more playing time is the team’s blue line prospect depth. The organization already has Jake Bean nearly ready for a full-time role after a great year with the Charlotte Checkers in the AHL. Then there’s Joey Keane who came over from the New York Rangers in a trade last season. Fleury will need a strong training camp to stay ahead of the younger defenders and secure a spot for opening night.
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