The Carolina Hurricanes signed big, physical defenseman Brett Bellemore to a one-year, two-way deal on Friday. The contract is worth $600K at the NHL level and goes down to $175K in the AHL.
Hurricanes blog Canes Country expressed some surprise that the Hurricanes managed to sign the 26-year-old blueliner to a flexibility-friendly two-way deal, and it’s easy to see why that was a slight upset. Bellemore managed to play 64 games with the Hurricanes in 2013-14, finishing with the most hits of any defenseman with 169 in that span.
He also put up some respectable possession numbers, particularly for a player who is mainly useful in his own end (eight points last season). Granted, he certainly benefited from his time spent with traditionally strong possession defenseman Ron Hainsey, which was a common pairing for Carolina last season.
This signing gives the Hurricanes eight defensemen with a reasonable chance to make the NHL, so despite a fairly solid run last season, this will be an important training camp run for Bellemore. Even if Bellemore bounces between the AHL and NHL, this signing still gives the Hurricanes some nice depth to cushion the blow of injuries.
For an interesting look at how well Bellemore played at times with Hainsey, 33, last season, click here.