Free agency sometimes brings players together with their old teams. Such is the case in Carolina.
The Hurricanes have signed defenseman Tim Gleason to a one-year, $1.2 million deal. Gleason was traded by the Hurricanes to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Jan. 1 and was bought out by the Leafs on Monday.
Carolina brings comfort and opportunity for Gleason. After seeing things not go especially great in Toronto, he returns to the team he’s spent over seven seasons with and established himself as a hard-nosed, physical defenseman.
One thing Carolina’s defense is lacking is physical play with puckhandlers like Justin Faulk, Andrej Sekera, and the player he was traded for, John-Michael Liles making up the blue line. If Gleason can return to his old self, it’ll be a benefit to the Hurricanes.