On the last day of September, the Carolina Hurricanes are halfway through their preseason schedule and are looking to strengthen and prepare their starters for the bright lights of Opening Day. One of the new faces this season will be William Carrier. After a brief injury, Carrier made his debut at the Lenovo Center against the Florida Panthers.

When NHL free agency began, the story surrounding Raleigh was that all faces were quickly leaving the organization. It was a real challenge for first-year general manager Eric Tulsky. As much as fans want to quickly replace those who are leaving, the front office’s goal was to attract the right players to the organization under a fair contract.

Carrier was a name that went under the radar on a crazy free agency day, but Tulsky clearly felt Carrier was a priority and signed him to a six-year deal worth $12 million with an annual salary cap hit of $2 million US dollars.

Having lost a few points at the top with the departures of Teuvo Teravainen and Jake Guentzel, the 29-year-old will provide a crucial edge to the back six and the organization is expecting great performance from Carrier under Rod Brind’Amour.

Carrier, a former second-round draft pick of the St. Louis Blues in the 2013 NHL Draft, has always had great hands and puck control. With an average time on ice of 10:32, he still had a chance to play big minutes in his career. The season in which he played the most minutes was the year the Vegas Knights won the Stanley Cup, averaging 12:35. This season was the highest of his career with 16 goals.

The Quebec native has played in Vegas for the past seven seasons and has plenty of playoff experience with 81 games played. At 6’3″ and 220 pounds, Carrier has a strong net front presence and could be a stronger version of Stefan Noesen. The power play could be an option for Carrier to cause havoc in front of the goalie while Shayne Gostisbehere shoots from the blue line.

The biggest concern with Carrier that Carolina has already experienced is his health. Staying on the ice was a problem for the newcomer, as he only played 39 games last season. The former Buffalo Sabers forward’s highest game count is 71 in 2019.

While this is a deep addition, expect Carrier to have a chance to contribute on special teams and potentially help with the senior leadership to change the pace. Either way, if he stays healthy, Carrier will help bolster Jordan Staal’s offensive line. The tireless, hard work on the forecheck will fit right in with the rest of the Canes team.