Much like the Pittsburgh Penguins could be stringing along the timing of Drew O’Connor’s impending contract in order to get pieces in place to go after Erik Karlsson in a trade, another potential suitor for Karlsson may have made a key timing move of their own yesterday as an indicator of their future team and plans.
The Carolina Hurricanes signed free agent defenseman Tony DeAngelo to a one-year deal. That end result has been rumored for a long time now, with the Canes allegedly close to trade for DeAngelo last month before the draft but were reportedly held up by a clause in the NHL’s collective bargaining agreement about re-acquiring a player within a year where retained salary is involved.