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‘Canes stay busy, ink Nordstrom to two-year, $2.55M extension

Carolina Hurricanes v Chicago Blackhawks

CHICAGO, IL - DECEMBER 27: Joakim Nordstrom #42 of the Carolina Hurricanes advances the puck against the Chicago Blackhawks at the United Center on December 27, 2015 in Chicago, Illinois. The Hurricanes defeated the Blackhawks 2-1. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

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Shortly after inking Jake Chelios -- yes, the son of Hockey Hall of Famer Chris Chelios -- the Carolina Hurricanes announced they signed forward Joakim Nordstrom to a two-year, $2.55 million extension, one that carries a $1.275M average annual cap hit.

“Joakim took a major step forward in his career last season,” said GM Ron Francis in a release. “We expect him to continue to grow as both a player and a leader on our team.”

Nordstrom, acquired along with Kris Versteeg from Chicago in September, enjoyed his greatest NHL success in 2015-16. The 24-year-old posted career highs in games played (71), goals (10), assists (14) and points (24) and was a valuable member of Bill Peters’ penalty killing unit, which finished sixth in the league.

Very quietly, Francis has done a nice job of scooping these types of players away from other organizations, getting them to produce, then signing them to reasonable, low-cost extensions.

Andrej Nestrasil, claimed off waivers from Detroit, signed a two-year, $1.825 million extension last summer.

Eddie Lack, acquired from Vancouver for a third- and seventh-round pick, inked a two-year, $5.5M extension just prior to the start of the regular season.