Hurricanes sign Givani Smith to one-year, two-way contract

A player has earned himself a new contract.

On Friday, Carolina Hurricanes general manager Eric Tulsky announced that the team has signed forward Givani Smith to a one-year, two-way contract for the 2025-26 season. The deal carries an NHL cap hit of $775,000 and a minor-league salary of $140,000, with $250,000 guaranteed.

Smith came to the Hurricanes’ training camp on a professional tryout and managed to prove he still had what it took to play at a high level, something Tulsky commended the feisty veteran for.

“Givani came to camp as a PTO and proved that he deserved a role in the organization,” Tulsky said in a release. “His size and physicality make him a good fit to add depth to our forward group.”

Smith has bounced around for the past several years. The former Detroit Red Wings prospect started out last season with the San Jose Sharks, but was dealt to the Colorado Avalanche as part of the deal that saw Mackenzie Blackwood be moved to the Avs in December. Just a few months later, Smith was on the move again, this time being traded to the Philadelphia Flyers for Erik Johnson.

Despite all the moving around, Smith appeared in just 13 games in the NHL during the 2024-25 campaign, failing to register a point. With the American Hockey League’s Colorado Eagles and Lehigh Valley Phantoms, the 27-year-old posted a goal and two assists.

Across seven seasons, including part of one with the Florida Panthers, Smith has appeared in 168 NHL games, scoring nine goals and 13 assists for 22 points, along with 268 penalty minutes. In 178 AHL contests, he has totaled 27 goals and 30 assists for 57 points, with 287 penalty minutes.