Carolina Hurricanes sign Derek Stepan to professional tryout

The Carolina Hurricanes have signed forward Derek Stepan to a professional tryout, according to a report by CapFriendly.

Stepan, 32, spent the 2021–22 season with the Hurricanes, scoring nine goals and 19 points in 58 appearances during the regular season but only skating in three playoff games.

The Hurricanes paid Stepan a $1.35 million salary during the 2021–22 season. Now, he’ll be competing just to make a team that already has Jordan Martinook, Ondrej Kase, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, and Jesper Fast signed to play in the bottom six.

With Max Pacioretty expected to miss six months while rehabbing a torn Achilles, there could be a bigger opportunity for Stepan to play significant minutes if he has a successful training camp.

Stepan is a 5’11”, 196-pound right-handed center who has enjoyed a long NHL career with the New York Rangers, Arizona Coyotes, Ottawa Senators, and Hurricanes. The Rangers originally selected Stepan in the second round (No. 51 overall) of the 2008 NHL Draft.

In 817 career NHL regular-season games, Stepan has scored 177 goals and 504 points. He’s added 20 goals and 54 points in 109 career playoff games with the Rangers, Coyotes, and Hurricanes.