- Carolina signs goaltender Zach Sawchenko to a one-year, two-way contract
- The 28-year-old journeyman lands the league minimum with a $190K guarantee
- Read below for where Sawchenko fits on Carolina’s goalie depth chart
The Carolina Hurricanes added another arm in the crease. The defending Stanley Cup champions signed goaltender Zach Sawchenko to a one-year, two-way contract.
Sawchenko will earn the league-minimum $850K at the NHL level, with a $150K salary in the minors and a $190K guarantee. It’s the kind of low-risk depth move contenders stack up on in July.
The 28-year-old has almost no NHL mileage. He made three starts and four relief appearances for the Sharks back in 2021-22 and posted a .901 save percentage across that brief run. He hasn’t played an NHL game since.
The undrafted Calgary native has bounced around on two-way deals for years. This is his second run through Carolina’s system after San Jose non-tendered him in 2022. Sawchenko started a career-high 41 games for AHL Chicago the following season, then passed through the Canucks and Blue Jackets organizations.
Last year wasn’t pretty. He went 14-10-3 with an .880 save percentage and a 3.05 goals-against average for AHL Cleveland.
Carolina had a spot to fill after Frederik Andersen walked in free agency and signed with the Oilers. Sawchenko slots in as the third-stringer behind Brandon Bussi and Pyotr Kochetkov heading into camp. Cayden Primeau, a restricted free agent whose rights the Canes still hold, could shuffle that order.
For a team fresh off a Cup, Sawchenko is pure insurance. He gives Carolina a veteran to soak up minor-league starts and a fallback if the NHL room ever gets thin.
