Hurricane jäääkäinks two years after its debut in North America – Hockey Writer – Carolina Hurricane
After announcing a four-year extension for Eric Robinson, the Carolina Hurricanes extended another player in their system. On Thursday, June 26, the Hurricane announced that they expanded Finnish striker Juha Jääskä to a two-year, $1.55 million deal. The average annual value is $775,000, and after the 2026-27 season, Finnish locals will become Helsinki and Finnish locals become unrestricted free agents (UFAs). That is, what does this mean for both parties and why does this deal make sense?
Jääskä gains career stability
The 28-year-old Jäääskä won 11 goals and 30 points for the American Hockey League (AHL) Chicago Wolves (AHL) in the 2024-25 season (his first full season in North America). Additionally, he even had a total of 4 assists for the Hurricanes in the 18 NHL regular season due to multiple lineup injuries. The impressed Hurricane and his fan base was that he was not afraid of the hardship of throwing his body, and played in two directions. He mainly competed in the fourth line but has been an influencer since the beginning. Jääskä had three blocks and 20 hits in 18 games in the Hurricanes. This is a way to make your presence feel.
The two-year extension breaks down as follows: Jäääskä would earn $775,000 if it were in the NHL game, while AHL would be $250,000. However, he promises at least $425,000. It’s all within the first year of his 2025-26 season contract. During the 2026-27 season, Jääskä will pay $775,000 for a one-way transaction. This is very important for both sides, as Hurricane likes the way Jääskä plays, especially how he adapts to the system. It makes sense for Jääskä to stay in North America after his debut last season. Not bad for Finnish wingers who had a stable career in Finland before jumping.
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Jääskä scored 51 goals and 142 points in 310 career Liiga games in nine seasons. He spent a full nine years in Finland career at HIFK. General Manager Eric Tulsky, who expressed his thoughts after Jääskä’s expansion, said: “Juha’s season had a strong season, which made a transition to hockey in North America and proved that he could be an effective player at the NHL level.” Tulsky said it well. Jääskä proved in his 18 NHL games that he could play in the biggest league in the hockey world, which could easily keep him in the organization.
Jääskä brought much needed depth to the Hurricane as he could play in the AHL and was the first call in the case of an injury. But if he does well in training camp, he may be likely to use the Hurricanes’ squad as their 13th forward. It’s not a bad thing for him as he will train with head coach Rod Brind’amour and his staff and get better as the season goes on. Plus, he can get into the roster with injuries or someone who needs to take leave.
Related: Hurricanes sign Eric Robinson
Either way, it’s a lot for both Hurricane and Jascar. The hurricane keeps the cap space spacious for action while maintaining depth with the man who fits the system. Regarding Jääskä, he can play a little longer in North America and get a solid contract for teams who like his playing style over the next two seasons.
Two extensions, who is the next one?
Even after the jääskä trade, the Hurricanes hit a cap of $26,715,958, which gave them plenty of room for the offseason. That being said, there are still many actions that the team needs to take before the 2025-26 season begins. Additionally, after Jääskä and Robinson Extensions, they are still potentially signing Mitch Marner, Nikolaj Ehlers, Brock Boeser or other players on the shortlist. The Hurricane still has aggressive flexibility in the offseason, while adding two-year extensions from Jääkäskä. It would be fun to see Tarsky and the front desk approaching free agent on July 1.
