Carolina Hurricanes sign Teuvo Teravainen to 5-year, $27m contract extension

The Carolina Hurricanes announced on Monday that the team has signed forward Teuvo Teravainen to a five-year, $27 million contract. Teravainen’s new deal, which kicks in next season, will carry a $5.4 million annual cap hit and will keep him with the Hurricanes through the 2023-2024 season.

Hurricanes President and General Manager Don Waddell released the following statement with the announcement of the deal:

“Teuvo has improved every year of his NHL career and has established himself as a cornerstone forward for the Hurricanes now and into the future,” said Waddell. ”He has shown that he is capable of adapting and expanding his role with our team, becoming a key penalty killer for Rod this season. He’s still just 24 years old and we believe he will only continue to grow as a player.”

In 48 games this season, the 24-year-old Finn has logged 39 points, which is good for second on the team behind Sebastian Aho, another pending restricted free agent who will be signed to a contract extension in the coming months.

In addition to providing consistent offense, Teravainen had turned into a key penalty killer for Rod Brind’Amour and his coaching staff over the last several weeks. He leads the team in shorthanded assists (three) and is tied with Aho for the most shorthanded points (four).

Teravainen was originally acquired by the Hurricanes via trade with the Chicago Blackhawks during the 2016 offseason. Since joining the Canes, he has skated in 211 games and recorded 145 points (.69 points per game).

The official news release from the team is below.

RALEIGH, NC - Don Waddell, President and General Manager of the National Hockey League’s Carolina Hurricanes, today announced that the team has agreed to terms with forward Teuvo Teravainen on a five-year, $27 million contract extension. The deal begins with the 2019-20 season and goes through the 2023-24 season and carries an average annual value (AAV) of $5.4 million per season.

”Teuvo has improved every year of his NHL career and has established himself as a cornerstone forward for the Hurricanes now and into the future,” said Waddell. ”He has shown that he is capable of adapting and expanding his role with our team, becoming a key penalty killer for Rod this season. He’s still just 24 years old and we believe he will only continue to grow as a player.”

Teravainen, 24, ranks second among Hurricanes skaters in assists (28), points (38) and power-play points (12) this season. The Helsinki, Finland, native is tied for second on the team in power-play goals (5) and fifth on the team in goals (10). Teravainen (5’11”, 191 lbs.) has appeared in 210 career games since joining the Hurricanes in 2016-17, ranking first on the team in assists (96) and second in points (144) during that span.

Teravainen was acquired by the Hurricanes on June 15, 2016 along with Bryan Bickell from the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for a second-round pick in the 2016 NHL Draft (Artur Kayumov) and a third-round pick in the 2017 NHL Draft (Keith Petruzzelli). Selected by Chicago in the first round, 18th overall, of the 2012 NHL Draft, he has totaled 65 goals and 123 assists (188 points) in 325 career NHL games with Chicago and Carolina. Teravainen registered 10 points (4g, 6a) in 17 playoff games for the Blackhawks in 2015, en route to the Stanley Cup championship.

In international play, Teravainen has represented Finland at the World Cup (2016), the IIHF World Championship (2018) and the IIHF World Junior Championships (2013, 2014), winning gold as Finland’s captain at World Juniors in 2014.