Hurricanes sign Zach Sawchenko to one-year contract
The Carolina Hurricanes announced on Saturday that they’ve signed goaltender Zach Sawchenko to a one-year contract with a league-minimum salary of $850,000.
The #Canes have signed goaltender Zach Sawchenko to a one-year, two-way contract. Details » n.carhur.com/4y3ob4P
Sawchenko’s contract is a two-way deal, with his AHL salary coming in at $150,000. It does not come with any performance or signing bonuses or any clauses. He will be an unrestricted free agent at the conclusion of the contract next summer.
Sawchenko was a UFA after the conclusion of his one-year, $775,000 contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets. While he does see an increase in salary of $75,000, it is only a raise by force, as both his contract last year and this year come at the league minimum salary in the NHL. His AHL salary also sees an increase of $20,000, as his previous AHL salary was $130,000.
Sawchenko had spent the last two seasons in the Blue Jackets organization, spending the entirety of his tenure in the AHL with their minor-league affiliate, the Cleveland Monsters. The 28 year old’s game took a significant step back in 2025-26, as despite a 14-10-3 record, he had an .880 save percentage in 29 games, a step down from his .900 mark the year prior. It was the second-lowest mark of his AHL career, as he had an .877 SV% in 2021-22 with the San Jose Barracuda.
Despite Sawchenko’s struggles, he was the Monsters’ starter for most of their playoff run, as he had a 5-3-0 record, .914 SV% and one shutout in eight playoff games. Cleveland made it to the North Division Finals before losing the eventual Calder Cup champions, the Toronto Marlies.
Sawchenko has seven NHL games to his name, all of them coming in 2021-22 with the San Jose Sharks. He had a 1-2-1 record and a .901 SV% that season.
The Hurricanes have had a quiet summer since hoisting the Stanley Cup, as outside of re-signing Nicolas Deslauriers and acquiring John Carlson’s signing rights (before failing to sign him), most of their moves have been focused on the minor league team, with the Sawchenko signing being their first of free agency. They have $11,105,182 in salary cap space according to PuckPedia, with seven restricted free agents left to re-sign, highlighted by Alexander Nikishin.