After a whirlwind first day of free agency, the Carolina Hurricanes’ biggest moves on July 1 were the eight-year extension of Logan Stankoven, followed by the sign-and-trade and the eight-year extension of K’Andre Miller from the New York Rangers. While it wasn’t the aggressive Day 1 that people thought the Hurricanes were going to have, granted, the market dipped considerably the day before on June 30, with teams extending a ton of their players. However, it does not mean the Hurricanes were quiet outside of the Stankoven and Miller moves.
It was quite the opposite; they made a decent amount of moves the first two days of the free agency period, even if it was mainly depth players. Even if they’re not the needle movers fans wanted, there are still some faces coming to the organization to help in some capacity. That said, who were the other new or returning faces that will be part of the Hurricanes organization in 2025-26?
Adding Depth Where it’s Needed
Cayden Primeau
The first move happened before the free agency period opened on Tuesday, July 1. On Monday, June 30, the Hurricanes traded a 2026 seventh-round pick to the Montreal Canadiens for goaltender Cayden Primeau. Primeau is the son of former Hurricanes captain Keith Primeau and had his best season in the American Hockey League (AHL) during the 2024-25 season. He had a 21-2-3 record with a 1.96 goals-against average (GAA) and a .927 save percentage (SV%) in 26 games for the Laval Rocket. Primeau did play in 11 games for the Canadiens in the NHL. His numbers in the NHL weren’t as glamorous as his AHL numbers. He had a 2-3-1 record with a 4.70 GAA and a .836 SV%.
While Primeau’s NHL numbers weren’t great, his AHL numbers did show that he can get the job done in the minors. He even played in eight Calder Cup Playoff games for the Rocket, where he had a 3-4-0 record with a 3.27 GAA and a .878 SV%. The one big note outside of his regular season numbers is that Primeau and teammate Connor Hughes won the 2025 Harry Holmes Memorial Award for the AHL’s Best Goaltending Duo.
Related: 2025 NHL Free Agency Tracker
Primeau signed a deal on July 1 to officially be part of the organization since he was a restricted free agent (RFA). The deal comes out to a one-year, $775,000 average annual value (AAV) contract that will run through the 2025-26 season. The reason to acquire him was that Dustin Tokarski wasn’t coming back for this season, along with Spencer Martin going to CSKA Moskva of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). Since the Hurricanes needed goalie depth for the Chicago Wolves of the AHL and a third goalie with NHL experience, it made sense for Carolina to acquire Primeau after his best AHL season. General manager Eric Tulsky stated after the trade was announced, “Cayden is 25 and coming off his best AHL season. He adds seasoned depth to our organization at the goaltending position.”
Primeau is more than likely the break-glass-in-case-of-emergency goalie this season in case of injury to either Frederik Andersen or Pyotr Kochetov. Either way, he is a great third goalie for the depth chart and someone who can help head coach Cam Abbott and his staff in Chicago for the 2025-26 AHL season. If need be, he will be in Raleigh to help as a steady backup for Andersen or Kochetkov. Plus, the AAV is really cheap for a depth goalie.
Amir Miftakhov
Back on April 30, there were rumors that the Hurricanes were going to sign another Russian netminder out of the KHL. On July 1, it became official as Amir Miftakhov signed a one-year, two-way deal with the Hurricanes. The deal will be for the 2025-26 season, where Miftakov will be paid $775,000 in the NHL or $100,000 in the AHL. There is a guarantee of at least $240,000 regardless of where he plays this upcoming season. Tulsky stated after the deal was announced about Miftakhov, “Amir has put together a number of solid seasons in the KHL and is ready to return to professional hockey in North America. It’s important to have goaltending depth, and we look forward to having him in our organization.”
Miftakhov played 30 games during the 2024-25 season with Ak Bars Kazan of the KHL. He finished with a record of 13-11-3, carrying a 2.18 GAA and a .927 SV% in the regular season. Plus, he even had four shutouts. Just like the addition of Primeau, it is believed that the Hurricanes needed depth in the goalie department. Furthermore, it’s been said that Miftakhov is a pretty good netminder who could fit in well with the Hurricanes. He will more than likely pair with Primeau in the AHL with the Wolves to make them a solid 1-2 combo in the crease.
Mike Reilly
A move that was not originally announced on July 1 was the signing of American defenseman Mike Reilly. The Chicago, IL native signed a one-year, $1.1 million AAV deal to come join the Hurricanes for the 2025-26 season. Reilly played in 18 games for the New York Islanders during the 2024-25 season, where he had two points, all assists. The reason for the lack of games was that he dealt with a heart procedure in November 2024, but he did return in the spring. Tulsky said after the news broke about the signing of Reilly, “Mike is a veteran defenseman who is capable of stepping in and contributing on both ends of the ice. He missed time with a health procedure last season, but returned to action in the spring and will be ready to go for training camp.”
Related: Hurricanes Acquire K’Andre Miller in Sign-and-Trade with Rangers
The Hurricanes will be his seventh franchise going into his 11th NHL season. Reilly’s role will mainly be the seventh defenseman as a depth piece in case of injury and/or rest for the main starters on the blue line. What makes him a great depth fit is that, while he is a left-shot defenseman, he can play on both sides of the ice, so he has the versatility for assistant coach Tim Gleason and head coach Rod Brind’Amour. He also brings a veteran presence, even with the players the Hurricanes already got in the defenseman room. The AAV and the one-year term fit perfectly for the Hurricanes to have a player with NHL experience as the seventh defenseman and to let the younger players get ice time down in the AHL with the Wolves. While the move isn’t a huge needle mover, every team needs depth players, especially on the defense, and that’s what Reilly brings for the Hurricanes in 2025-26.
Tyson Jost
The only signing the Hurricanes got done on Day 2 of free agency on July 2 was the re-signing of forward Tyson Jost. Jost rejoins the Hurricanes after signing a one-year, $775,000 two-way deal for the 2025-26 season. The contract will pay him $775,000 in the NHL or $300,000 in the AHL. He also receives a guarantee of at least $600,000. Due to a fair amount of injuries to the main Hurricanes roster, he played 39 regular-season games for the Hurricanes in 2024-25, where he tallied four goals and nine points. Also, he played in 14 games for the Wolves in the AHL, tallying four goals and nine points. It made sense for the Hurricanes to bring Jost back as probably the first call-up in case of injuries.
Tulskay said on Wednesday, following the announcement of the deal, “Tyson was able to contribute to our organization in a number of different ways last year, and we’re happy to keep him here. He’s extremely well-liked and hard-working and capable of playing a number of different roles in the lineup.” Overall, a great deal for the Hurricanes for a player they know well and who is well-liked within both the Hurricanes and Wolves dressing rooms. He is a player who brings depth and hard work that fits in well within the system. Jost will be someone who will be relied upon throughout the season, either in the NHL or AHL, and after what he did during 2024-25, he will rise to the occasion and contribute where needed.
Still in on Nikolaj Ehlers
While the four additional signings outside of the Stankoven and Miller moves are not viewed as moving the needle, they are moves every team has to make if they want depth throughout the season. The Hurricanes made the necessary moves and are in a good spot in that instance. They have the depth for a seventh defenseman, a first call-up/14th forward from the AHL, and two goalies who can hold it down for the Wolves. Plus, in case of injury, one of them could come up to be a backup. For Reilly, he is someone who brings solid defensive depth in case of injury or rest. Either way, these are good moves to shore up the roster so that the Hurricanes aren’t held short and play guys who aren’t ready.
The other big name the Hurricanes are in on is forward Nikolaj Ehlers. While he has not signed with a team yet, the word is that they are still pushing hard for him and are waiting for his decision. Tulsky said during his media availability after Day 1 of free agency about Ehlers is that, “We’re waiting to see where that goes.” It’ll be interesting to see where it goes, but rest assured, the Hurricanes, with their $18.257 million in cap space, are still in pursuit of making big moves for the 2025-26 season.
