Hurricanes Sign Defenseman Fitzgerald to One-Year Contract

The Carolina Hurricanes announced today that they have signed defenseman Zack Fitzgerald to a one-year, two-way contract. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. He would have been an unrestricted free agent on July 1. In 77 games last season with Albany of the AHL, he had two goals and 12 assists for 14 points and 311 penalty minutes. He last appeared in the NHL during the 2007-08 season with the Vancouver Canucks, scoring no points in one game. This is really just a depth signing for the Hurricanes, as Fitzgerald is likely to spend most of next season, if not all, in the minors. He has great size and is a very physical player on the ice, but lacks the talent to play regular minutes at the NHL level. Look for him to play another physical season with Albany in 2010-11.