Hurricanes sign goalie to one-year, two-way contract

On Saturday, the Carolina Hurricanes signed goaltender Zach Sawchenko to a one-year, two-way contract for the 2026-27 season. The deal carries the NHL league-minimum salary of $850,000, an AHL salary of $150,000, and a guaranteed payment of $190,000. The contract does not include signing bonuses, performance bonuses, or any clauses, and Sawchenko is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent next summer.

The 28-year-old joins the Hurricanes after spending the past two seasons in the Columbus Blue Jackets organization with the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters. Last season, Sawchenko appeared in 29 games, compiling a 14-10-3 record with a .880 save percentage and a 3.05 goals-against average. His .880 save percentage was a step down from the .900 he recorded the previous season and was the second-lowest of his AHL career, ahead of only his .877 mark with the San Jose Barracuda in 2021-22.

Despite those regular-season numbers, Sawchenko played a pivotal role during Cleveland’s postseason run. He started most of the playoff games, finishing with a 5-3-0 record, a .914 save percentage, and one shutout in eight appearances as the Monsters advanced to the North Division Finals before being eliminated by the eventual Calder Cup champion Toronto Marlies.

Sawchenko’s NHL experience is limited to seven appearances with the San Jose Sharks during the 2021-22 season. Across three starts and four relief appearances, he posted a 1-2-1 record, a .901 save percentage, and a 3.35 goals-against average.

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An undrafted goaltender, Sawchenko has spent several seasons on one-year, two-way contracts since signing a two-year entry-level deal with San Jose. He was previously part of the Hurricanes organization after the Sharks did not tender him a contract in 2022, starting a career-high 41 games for the AHL’s Chicago Wolves and finishing with a .895 save percentage. He later spent the 2023-24 season in the Vancouver Canucks system before joining the Blue Jackets.

Sawchenko is expected to enter training camp as Carolina’s third goaltender behind Brandon Bussi and Pyotr Kochetkov. Restricted free agent Cayden Primeau remains without a contract but is still under the Hurricanes control, while Ruslan Khazheyev also remains in the organization’s goaltending depth after spending most of last season in the ECHL following 20 AHL starts as a rookie in 2024-25.