Hurricanes continue to shape opening night roster

Peter Koutroumpis, Triangle Sports Network
Peter Koutroumpis, Triangle Sports Network

RALEIGH, N.C. – Since submitting its roster to the National Hockey League (NHL) on Monday, the Carolina Hurricanes hockey club made additional moves while preparing to open the season against the Detroit Red Wings at PNC Arena on Friday.

President and general manager Jim Rutherford announced that the team had signed right winger Radek Dvorak to a one-year contract on Wednesday.

The deal will pay Dvorak $600,000 at the NHL level or $125,000 at the American Hockey League (AHL) level, with a guarantee of at least $250,000 for the 2013-14 season.

“Radek is a veteran player, and he has shown us throughout training camp that he can contribute to the Hurricanes,” said Rutherford.

“His versatility and experience give our coaching staff a number of options with our lineup.”

Dvorak, 36, split the 2012-13 season between HC Davos of the Swiss league and the Anaheim Ducks in the NHL, totaling seven points (3 goals, 4 assists) in seven games for Davos, and four goals in nine games with the Ducks.

Originally selected by the Florida Panthers as the 10th overall pick in the 1995 NHL Entry Draft, Dvorak has appeared in 1,200 NHL games with Florida, Anaheim, the New York Rangers, Edmonton Oilers, St. Louis Blues, Atlanta Thrashers, and Dallas Stars.

The native of Tabor, Czech Republic has totaled 223 goals, 358 assists (581 points) and 408 penalty minutes in NHL regular-season play, while tallying seven points (2 goals, 5 assists) in 39 Stanley Cup playoff games played.

Dvorak currently ranks eighth among active NHL players in games played, and has competed internationally for the Czech Republic in a number of competitions including the 2002 Winter Olympics, the 1999, 2001, 2004 and 2005 IIHF World Championships and the 2004 World Cup of Hockey.

In addition to signing Dvorak on Wednesday, the Hurricanes assigned defenseman Matt Corrente to the team’s AHL affiliate club, the Charlotte Checkers, after he cleared waivers.

Corrente was placed on the waiver wire on Tuesday while defenseman Joni Pitkanen was placed on the long-term injured reserve list at the time.

As a result of the roster status change for Pitkanen, defenseman Ryan Murphy was subsequently recalled from Charlotte later on Tuesday, and practiced with the team on Wednesday.