The Hurricanes locked down a group of restricted free agents Thursday, inking Brody Sutter, Brendan Woods, Dennis Robertson and Keegan Lowe all to one-year, two-way contracts.
Sutter continues his pro career with the Hurricanes organization, where he has spent his first four seasons. The 24-year-old is coming off a 2015-16 that saw him pot a career-best 13 goals while anchoring one of the Checkers’ most consistent units with Woods and Patrick Brown, as well as appearing in a career-best eight NHL games with the Hurricanes. Should he return to Charlotte this coming season, Sutter would be the longest tenured Checker, with 211 games under his belt, as well as the 10th leading scorer in franchise history.
Playing alongside Sutter in Charlotte for the majority of the year was Woods, who returns for his fourth season with Carolina. Sliding into a more physical role, the 24-year-old’s offensive numbers took a bit of a drop (9g, 11a), but he established himself as a key piece on the team, including helping lead a strong penalty killing unit. Woods’ play also earned him five NHL games with Carolina, a career high.
Robertson returns after rejoining the Carolina organization late last season from Chicago in exchange for Drew MacIntyre. Heading into his third season as a pro, the defenseman has logged 76 total games for the Checkers, putting up 20 points and establishing himself as a dependable piece of the Charlotte blue line.
Lowe rejoins a stacked defensive corps after setting career highs in goals (3), assists (11) and points (14) last season with Charlotte. Heading into his fourth pro season, Lowe is the fourth-longest tenured defenseman in Checkers’ history, and his 188 games played would be the most by an active player should he skate for Charlotte next season.
All four skaters would now need to pass through waivers before being able to join the Checkers.
