The Carolina Hurricanes are bringing Derek Stepan back but not on an NHL contract yet. According to CapFriendly, the veteran forward has agreed to a professional tryout with the Hurricanes, where he spent last season.
Stepan is still only 32, but now has 12 full seasons and more than 800 regular season games under his belt. The 2008 second-round pick quickly made it to the NHL with the New York Rangers and was a dynamic two-way center from day one, scoring 21 goals and 45 points as a rookie. While his production has declined in recent years, he was still rather effective for the Hurricanes this season. Despite averaging fewer than 11 minutes a night, he scored 9 goals and 19 points in 58 games, while offering an outstanding 56% faceoff rate, easily the best of his career.
None of those points came on the power play, and even in his limited minutes the team didn’t shelter Stepan with easy deployment. With that in mind, it was surprising to see him passed over when free agency started, as there’s obviously still some value in the veteran forward even after so many years.
Still, perhaps he wants to give Carolina every chance to sign him, and since the team is currently over the cap ceiling they have an agreement worked out for down the road. Once the season begins (or in the days just prior), the Hurricanes can place Max Pacioretty on long-term injured reserve to free up some cap flexibility and then ink Stepan to a new deal.
We’ve seen similar things happen in the past, though there is no guarantee it happens in this case. A camp invitation at least will allow Stepan to show the league that he’s healthy and ready to go for his 13th season, wherever that may be.
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