The Carolina Hurricanes are in a tight Metro Division race as they try to capture their third-straight title and fourth overall, including the “Discover Central Division.” In the midst of it, players like Seth Jarvis are having career years. However, one player has been lost in all the excitement of a title race, playoff-clinching scenarios, and other career seasons. Forward Jack Drury has quietly been proving why he belongs in the NHL, more importantly, with the Hurricanes.
Can’t Back Off Jack
In his third season with the Hurricanes, Drury has played the most games of his career, despite missing time due to a lower-body injury on March 10 – he was cleared on March 24 and should keep his career year going with nine games left in the regular season. In 65 games, he has eight goals and 27 points. In 2022-23, he only had two goals and eight points in 38 games. Before that, he only played 40 games combined over his first two seasons, with four goals and 10 assists. It is good to see the 42nd overall pick from the 2018 NHL Entry Draft finally showing his skills consistently.
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The thing is, the 24-year-old New York, NY, native is no stranger to scoring. In the last season of his collegiate career with Harvard University, he tallied 20 goals and 39 points in 28 games. Unfortunately, his college career came to an early end due to the pandemic. However, he decided to go overseas and play in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) with the Vaxjo Lakers HC, posting 10 goals and 30 points in 41 regular-season games, and five goals and 11 points in 14 playoff games. While he didn’t finish his college career at Harvard, he joined the professional ranks when he returned to the United States, playing for the Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League (AHL).
In his first season with the Wolves, they won the 2022 Calder Cup. In the 18 playoff games, he tallied nine goals and 24 points. In the 2021-22 regular season, he scored 20 goals and 52 points in 68 games.
While playing in his first season in Chicago, he played in two games with the Hurricanes. In those two games, he scored a goal in back-to-back games with his NHL debut being on Dec. 17, 2021.
His father, Ted, was in attendance for his first goal. Ted Drury played for the Hartford Whalers from 1993-94 to 1994-95. The Hurricanes’ Mailbag reported that Ted said, “it was very exciting. We flew down that morning. Two of my other sons and I had some real travel issues, so we wound up having to fly into Charlotte and then drive to get there. We missed the start of the game, and I think we had been in our seats for about two minutes before he scored. It was such a whirlwind and it was something I’m sure none of us will ever forget.”
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In the season after the Wolves won the Calder Cup, Drury had 11 goals and 24 points in 37 games. This was the last time he saw the AHL, finishing the season in Carolina where he tallied three assists in 13 playoff games.
At 24 years old, Drury has had to prove himself every step of the way, bouncing between the Wolves and Hurricanes. The Harvard product now wants to prove he belongs in the NHL and is doing so in a season where he is averaging 12 minutes of ice time and winning 54.3% of his faceoffs. Given the season he is having, he should expect to sign an extension with the Hurricanes this summer.
Drury’s Contract Extension
Drury will be a restricted free agent (RFA) with arbitration rights this offseason. He currently makes $925,000 annually on his entry-level contract (ELC), worth only 1.14% of the Hurricanes’ cap space. While players like Seth Jarvis, Brett Pesce, and Teuvo Teravainen all need extensions, management should make sure Drury stays in Carolina as well.
The cap is expected to go up next season, and Drury has earned a two or three-year bridge deal to prove himself even more.
A deal that would make sense for both sides is a three-year, $6 million deal, with a $2 million annual average value. It’s a low-risk contract that won’t take up much space and keeps Drury in Carolina until he is 26. That will give him more time to grow and give the Hurricanes a player who can manage the bottom six and perhaps earn a bigger role in the future. He has shown that he fits with head coach Rod Brind’Amour’s system, so management should make every effort to keep him.
Drury has had an underrated season and should get more attention than he does. There is a good chance he finishes the season with over 30 points in a season worth remembering for the New York native navigating his way in Raleigh, North Carolina.