Hurricanes sign veteran defenseman to PTO

The Carolina Hurricanes have signed defenseman Nathan Beaulieu to a professional tryout, according to team reporter Walt Ruff. Beaulieu will attend Hurricanes training camp next month with the hopes of earning an NHL contract and suiting up for a 12th straight season.

Beaulieu, 30, landed a one-year, $850K contract with the Anaheim Ducks last season after appearing at their training camp on a PTO. He was used sparingly in a depth role, leading to naturally poor results on one of the worst defensive teams of the salary cap era. 

Averaging 15:14 per game, the journeyman defender added just four assists in 52 games and posted a -23 rating, the worst of his career. He was also briefly assigned to the minors for the first time in eight years, albeit for four games.

He’ll need to work much harder to land a contract this time around unless he’s willing to take a two-way deal and be likely assigned to the minors — which, unfortunately, won’t be a predictable career move thanks to the Hurricanes’ lack of a dedicated AHL affiliate for next season. 

At best, Beaulieu would slot ninth on the team’s defense depth chart as things stand. After their acquisitions of Anthony DeAngelo and Dmitry Orlov this offseason, a pair of capable everyday NHL defenders, Jalen Chatfield and Caleb Jones, are currently slated for press box roles. There’s also Dylan Coghlan, who played just 17 games last season but is signed to a one-way contract in 2023-24 and would require waivers to be assigned to the AHL.

It’s been a while since Beaulieu has offered positive value defensively, posting a relative Corsi For in the negatives at even strength in four consecutive seasons. Couple that with the fact that he hasn’t scored a goal in three and a half years (his last one was in February 2020 as a member of the Winnipeg Jets) and it’s apparent why he’s been used solely in a depth role over the past handful of campaigns.

He would add some beef to the Hurricanes blueline at 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds, along with a physical edge, although Chatfield carries a similar demeanor with much better defensive results. 

Ruff also noted a potential reason for bringing Beaulieu in is having enough defensemen healthy for the Hurricanes’ slate of split-squad preseason games on Sept. 29.