Hurricanes Re-Sign Jussi Jokinen to Three-Year Contract

The Carolina Hurricanes announced on Thursday that they have signed center Jussi Jokinen to a three-year contract extension worth $9 million. The deal will pay him $3 million per season. He would have been an unrestricted free agent on July 1. In 70 games last season, he had 19 goals and 33 assists for 52 points. He missed six games with an upper body injury in January and another six games with a lower body injury in February. This is a good signing for the Hurricanes, as Jokinen brings a lot of offensive skill to the team on the wing. He has good two-way skill, a great shot, is excellent on the power play, and excels in the shootout. Plus, at $3 million per season, he is a bargain for the Hurricanes.

Hurricanes Sign Jussi Jokinen to Two-Year Contract Extension

The Carolina Hurricanes announced on Monday that they have signed right wing Jussi Jokinen to a two-year contract extension worth $3.4 million. The deal averages out to $1.7 million per season. The Hurricanes acquired Jokinen back in February from the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for Wade Brookbank and Josef Melichar. In 71 games last season with the Lightning and Hurricanes, Jokinen scored seven goals and 20 assists for 27 points. In 306 career games, he has 54 goals and 118 assists for 172 points with the Dallas Stars, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Carolina Hurricanes. This is a good signing for the Hurricanes, as Jokinen has decent two-way skills, a great shot, and plenty of offensive depth. His skills on the power play make him and effective special teams player. Jokinen struggled to find his offensive touch last season with the abysmal Lightning, but played very well for the Hurricanes in the playoffs. Look for him to play at the same skill level next season that he did in this past season's playoffs.

Hurricanes Acquire Jokinen from Lightning

The Carolina Hurricanes announced on Saturday that they have acquired left wing Jussi Jokinen from the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for left wing Wade Brookbank, defenseman Josef Melichar, and Carolina's 4th round pick in the 2009 Entry Draft. Jokinen had been placed on waivers by the Lightning the day before and went unclaimed, despite rumors that a team was interested in claiming him. In 46 games this season with the Lightning, Jokinen has six goals and 10 assists for 16 points. Brookbank has played in 27 games so far this season, scoring one goal, while Melichar has played in 15 games, scoring four assists. This is a good move by the Hurricanes, as Jokinen has plenty of offensive potential despite his low totals this season. Despite the fact that most of the Lightning players are struggling offensively this season, the team became too impatient and didn't give Jokinen much of a chance to prove his skills. He had recently fallen off their depth chart and therefore became expendable. Look for Jokinen's offense to improve playing with the likes of Eric Staal, Rod Brind'Amour, Ray Whitney, Justin Williams, and Sergei Samsonov. The only thing puzzling about this trade is that the Hurricanes actually traded for Jokinen when they could have grabbed him off waivers for nothing. As for the circus that is the Tampa Bay Lightning, Brookbank will provide toughness to the offense, while Melichar will bring veteran defensive depth to the young, anemic blueline.