The Carolina Hurricanes have signed forward Max Comtois to a one-year, two-way contract worth $775,000 in the NHL. He last played in the NHL for the Anaheim Ducks during the 2022-23 season. This year, Comtois played for the Chicago Wolves in the AHL and scored 12 goals and 28 points in 45 games there. He was signed to a professional tryout by the Vegas Golden Knights at the start of the season but was released during training camp.
The Hurricanes are bringing in this still-young player for additional depth as they attempt to contend for the Stanley Cup. It has been a full season since Comtois has stepped foot into an NHL arena but if the Hurricanes sustain a lot of injuries he could come in handy. At the very least, they’ll be receiving a solid AHLer.
Due to the fact that the Hurricanes do not currently have an AHL affiliate, Comtois will almost certainly continue to play for the Wolves until he gets called up to the NHL.
At one point, Comtois was one of the best prospects in the Ducks’ system and one of the better prospects in the league. He was originally a second-round pick of the Ducks in 2017 and became a full-time NHLer during the 2020-21 season. That was his break-out season in the NHL when he put up 33 points in 55 games as a 22-year-old. He led the team in goals and points that year as they continued their rebuild.
Comtois is still only 25 years old and could take this opportunity with the Hurricanes and run with it. He has the skill and pedigree to be an NHL player, he just needs to figure it out. He has the potential to be a star player as he showed for Team Canada during the World Junior Championships in 2018 and 2019 when he put up a combined 12 points in 12 games between those two tournaments.
In his career, Comtois has scored 38 goals and 86 points in 210 games, along with 193 penalty minutes and a -35 rating.
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